An Adventure Again
by Twitch E. One
Summary: He starts his 5th journey. She starts her first. He does it out of boredom. She does it cause she lost her job. Will these unlikely companions become more than friends? AbilityShipping
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. If I did I wouldn't be doing this now would I.**

Chapter 1: Bearer of Bad News

Our story begins in a location quite off the beaten path. This location is a lake near the Tohjo Falls. On the shore of said lake sits a young girl around the age of sixteen. She could be seen wearing black dress shoes, tight fitting socks, and lilac colored dress pants. She also wore a white dress shirt with yellow trimming and puffy sleeves. Her hair and eyes were both lilac. As she sat by the lake she was petting a purple cat like creature.

As she sat there you could see the bored expression on her face. _I wonder when Scott will bring the next challenger for the Battle Tower, _she thought to herself. _It's been a while since a decent challenger has taken the Battle Frontier challenge. All the challengers Scott sends now are boring and are always easy to beat. In fact the only person who has ever beaten all seven of us was—_ her train of thought was interrupted by the cat like creature she was petting.

"Espeon," the creature mewed. It could sense there something wrong with the way her mind just seemed to wonder. Because of Espeon's psychic abilities, it could read the girls thoughts and it knew something was wrong. The girl simply looked down at the Pokémon and gave it a soft smile.

"I apologize, my friend," she began" it seems I have let my thought get away from me again. It's just that recently I have lost the aspiration to battle. I think it would be best if maybe we moved on with our lives, you know. Travel again, like in the old days before we were asked to join the Frontier Brains."

Espeon just cocked its head at the thought of all the walking, closed its eyes and lay down on the girls lap. "Huh, something tells me that doesn't appeal to you," the girl said with a small laugh in her voice. "I guess you're right, we have gotten accustomed to this lifestyle and to just throw it away would not be the smartest thing." She resumed petting the Pokémon, but the thoughts of traveling continued to monopolize her mind. She was about to get up and go back to her house when a sound from behind her caught her and espeon's attention. It sounded like a helicopter was approaching. Well that's almost right. What was really coming was the Battle Pyramid, the giant flying vessel of the Pyramid King, Brandon.

The Pyramid was approaching quickly. The girl by the lake was surprised to see the Battle Pyramid in this area. _He doesn't show up around here very often. Maybe he discovered some kind of ruins around here_, she thought. The Battle Pyramid stuck a ten-point landing right beside the lake, causing a small tremor to be felt, and out came none other than the Pyramid King himself.

Brandon looked at the girl with his perpetual glare and said, "Hello Anabel."

"Hey Brandon, and to what do I own the honor of being graced by your presence," Anabel joked. Brandon's face remained indifferent. "You should learn to laugh at a joke."

"Sorry but this is no time for jokes. Scott has summoned all the Frontier Brains to the HQ in Celadon City."

"Oh, I wonder what this could be about."

"If I knew I would tell you."

"Uh, never mind, let's just get going." As Anabel said this she started walking toward the Battle Pyramid.

"Understood, let's go," Brandon said as he headed back into the Pyramid.

They both made their way through the Pyramid to the bridge where Brandon grabbed the Helm and Anabel grabbed a seat on a nearby couch. Brandon explained to Anabel that they would also have to pick up Palace Maven Spencer on the Seafoam Islands. Anabel just shrugged and said that it was no problem. The trip was rather short due to the high speeds the Pyramid could travel. After arriving at the Battle Palace, Brandon and Anabel got out of the flying monolith and explained the situation to the Palace Maven.

"I see," said the aged man. "Something tells me this won't be the happiest of reunions."

"Why do you say that," inquired Anabel.

"Hmm, oh it's nothing really. Come we must be going." And with that the Palace Maven went into the Pyramid. Brandon and Anabel soon followed after him.

Brandon and Anabel returned to the bridge but Spencer went to the Pokémon Center to talk with Nurse Joy about healing his Venusaur as it was in the middle of training when they were interrupted. While Spencer was in the P.C., Brandon and Anabel made some idle chitchat.

"So, how long till we reach Celadon City, Brandon," asked Anabel.

"Shouldn't be long now," Brandon responded in his normal manner of short and sweet. "Ah, I can see the Department Store now. We will arrive in just a moment so if you could, go get Spencer."

"Okay," Anabel said as she walked out the door. _I wonder what this meeting will be about. Scott always seems to spring these meetings on us at the last minute, gather us all together, and then give an announcement that could have just as easily been given over videophone. This had better not be a waste of time or I-I-I don't know what I'll do but I know I'll regret it later._ Anabel arrived at the P.C. shortly after leaving the bridge and found Spencer still talking to nurse Joy. "Hey, Spencer it's time to go. We've almost reached Celadon," Anabel called across the P.C. Spencer turned around, nodded, and proceeded to leave the P.C.

Soon they arrived at the city of Celadon. The three got off the Pyramid in front of the Frontier H.Q. _Ha, my Battle Tower is at least ten times as big as this building. Why couldn't we have just had it there and saved me the trip,_ Anabel thought,_ But I suppose since most of the Brains could get here faster than they could get to the Tohjo Falls it would only make sense to have it here._

Anabel's thoughts would have continued on if she had not seen the other four Frontier Brains, Factory Head Noland, Arena Tycoon Greta, Pike Queen Lucy, and Dome Ace Tucker. "Ah welcome my fellow Brains. I hope your trip here was as wonderful as mine," said Tucker in his most dramatic voice and over exaggerated poses."

_ What a spotlight hog,_ thought Anabel, but she still kept a smile on her face. "Good to see you to Tucker. And that goes for the rest of you too."

While all the formalities were being thrown around, a somewhat portly man in a Hawaiian tropics shirt and khaki shorts came out of a nearby office building. You could see the worry in his eyes if it weren't for the dark sunglasses that covered his eyes. "I'm glad to see you all could make it. I just wish it was under better terms," he said to call the attention of the Frontier Brains on him.

"What do you mean," Brandon asked the owner of the Battle Frontier and the Boss of all the Brains, Scott.

"First let's get into the office and I'll tell you guys everything," Scott said to them all while holding up his hand to terminate any other questions. "Oh and Brandon, you may want to park your Pyramid somewhere other than in the middle of the busiest street in Celadon." Brandon turned to see what Scott was saying was true. He immediately ran into the Pyramid and took off, parking it in a nearby clearing in the woods surrounding the city. The scene made all the Brains burst into laughter. But Scott kept his face straight even though it was his comment that spurred the humor. For Scott not to laugh at his own joke, something big must have happened.

After a while Brandon made his way back to the Battle Frontier HQ. He, along with the other Brains and Scott made their way into the building and into one of the conference rooms. All the Brains took their seats and faced their boss. "Well, what is it you have to say to us Scott," Spencer inquired of the usually laid back man.

"Yeah, and why is it so important that all of us have to come," shouted the Arena Tycoon Greta.

"Calm yourself Greta," Scott began. He was really dreading what he had to tell them. Of all the things his job entailed, he hated this part the most. "As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I have something distressing to tell you all."

"Stop beating around the bush and tell us," everyone, excluding Brandon and Spencer, shouted at their boss.

"The Battle Frontier is getting low on funding and we have to close at least one of the Facilities," the portly man forced out. He looked out at the dazed glares of his employees. After a while they all began looking at each other, knowing what was on all of their minds. Which one of them was going to lose their job?

To be Continued

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**And so ends chapter one of my attempt at a fanfiction. **

**If you have gotten to this point in the chapter PLEASE Review my work. I would love to hear your opinions of how the chapter set up the story.**

**Also if the character didn't get a detailed description then they probably won't be in it much after this.**

**Well I'm done taking your time so let's recap: 1. PLEASE REVIEW 2. Some characters won't be in this much 3. Did I have a third point? If not, I do now. **

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: This chapter takes place at the same time as Chapter 1.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Pokémon but sadly it is only a wish.**

Chapter 2: Hitting the Reset Button

It was almost midmorning and all the denizens of Pallet Town were up and about doing their daily chores. Well almost all of them were up, except a certain black haired Pokémon Trainer, who was still asleep. At the foot of his bed sat a small yellow mouse-like creature. On the other side of his door, a woman called, "Ash, it's time to get up. It's almost noon."

The reply she got was a groggy, "muauhm" from the other side of the door.

"I'm making stew for lunch," she said in a singsong voice. with that said, Ash's eyes sprang open and he tore the sheets off of him, not caring that is yellow mouse just got flung against the wall. The next thing his mother knew was that the door was practically ripped from its hinges, and her son was sitting at the table downstairs with a hungry look in his eyes. "Ash, what am I going to do with you."

"Hopefully feed me," Ash said jokingly.

"Alright, I'll get right back to working on it," Delia said to her son. The morning was pretty quiet for a while. Pikachu had recovered from being thrown across Ash's room when he leapt from his bed, and made his way downstairs for his own lunch. Things remained quiet till Mrs. Ketchum turned from her pot of stew and asked her son, "Ash, it's not that I don't love having you here, it's just that you've been home for two months now. Have you decided what you're going to do now?"

Ash's face turned depressed and he responded with, "I don't know mom. I lost in the Semi-finals of the Suzuran Conference. I don't know of any more leagues for me to take on." Ash's depressed face turned despondent.

"Ash, you are seventeen years old. Maybe you should think about the future more instead of what journey you are going to go on next," although Delia never got really angry, she was known to raise her voice when talking sense into her into her son. "I'm not getting any younger and I would like grandkids before I die if you don't mind."

Ash's jaw nearly dropped though the floor. "MOM, what are you talking about. I'm way too young to be thinking of that. Besides, I don't think you have to worry about that, you're only *ding-dong* years old."

"Oh, sound like someone is at the door. I'll be right back Ash," Delia left the room to go check the door. When she opened it she saw a young boy wearing a green shirt and red shorts with a matching headband. "Hello Tracey."

"Hello Mrs. Ketchum," was his reply.

"Won't you come in? I just finished some stew for lunch."

"Sorry ma'am, I'd love to, but Professor Oak has me on some official business and I can't stop to eat. I'm here to pick up Ash," the green shirted boy replied.

"Oh well," was all she said to Tracey. She then turned around and called into the house, "Ash, Tracey is here for you."

"Okay mom," was the response from the kitchen. Moments later, Ash Ketchum exited the kitchen and came into the foyer, to speak with the Pokémon Watcher. "Hey, Tracey," he greeted. Not one for idle chitchat, Ash got right to the point. "What did you need me for?"

"It's not me. The Professor said something about you having a visitor or something like that."

"Hmm, I wonder who could be visiting me who doesn't know where my house is," Ash pondered aloud.

"I'm just the messenger. I've told you all I know. Now let's go, the Professor might get antsy if we keep him waiting."

"Okay," Ash the turned to his mother who had just been standing there listening. "Is it okay if I skip lunch for now and head to the professor's place?"

"Certainly, honey. Lunch will still be here when you get back."

"Thanks mom," was his reply. He called for Pikachu who quickly ran to its trainer and the group of Ash, Pikachu, and Tracey, set off for the Professor's laboratory. The trip was short and they soon found themselves at the front door to the Professors lab. Tracey opened the door and the group walked into the small living room to the side of the entrance. Ash and Pikachu sat on the couch while Tracey left to go look for the professor. While Tracey was gone, none other than the Professor himself entered the living area.

"Ah, Ash it's good to see you've made it here," he said upon entering the room. He soon found a seat on the couch opposite the one Ash and Pikachu were on. "I'm sorry to say that your visitor is not here at the moment as he had to use the restroom. But no worry, he should be back any minute now."

"Okay," was all Ash said the Professor. He was still thinking of who this mysterious visitor might be.

"So, Ash have you made any new plans for your next journey," Oak asked, curious as to what his star trainer had on his metaphorical plate.

"No. I was kind of hoping that you could help me with that Professor. I've gone through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. I don't know where to go now," the Pokémon Trainer explained to the elderly Professor.

"Hm, let me see," the professor stated as his mind began to process the matter at hand. He began to think of Ash's first journey and how it had ended with his most depressing loss. "Aha, I have it. What if you went through the Kanto region league again. Maybe this time you could win the league."

"Redo my original journey, hmm," Ash began to think over this no option that was presented to him. The more he thought about it, the more he seemed to like it. Pretty soon he was grinning ear to ear. "That sounds like an excellent idea Professor. What do you say Pikachu. You and me going through Kanto together again." The small Mouse Pokémon squeaked in agreement.

"It's good to see that you're as enthusiastic as you used to be Ash," an unknown voice said from behind Ash. The unknown person walked around the couch and went between Ash and the professor. It was a man wearing blue jeans and a white tank-top. Around his neck was a red towel.

"Um, hello," Ash said as he studied the new arrival. _This must be the visitor Professor Oak was talking about. I can't quite remember who he is but he sure does look familiar._

"You don't remember me, do you Ash," said the man, to which answered with a swift shake of his head. "Maybe this will help you remember." As he said this he took a pokéball from his pocket and threw it into the air to reveal a large, furry, tan colored pig monkey. It had dark-brown arms and legs, each with a black bracer on them. Around its waist was a large belt with P1 engraved into it. Upon seeing Ash, the Pokémon leapt at him in blind fury, which was just his way of saying hello to an old friend.

"Hey, is that my Pri—" that was all Ash could get out before the Pokémon tackled him to the ground. After awhile the Pokémon got off Ash and he stood back up it a sort of dazed state of mind.

"Remember me now," the man said between his fits of laughter.

"I remember, you're Anthony and that's the Primeape I left with you seven years ago. My only question is why you are here?"

"Oh, well you see I told you I would train your Primeape to be a top ranked fighter, and just recently we defeated the topped ranked fighter of the Kanto region. So I'm just here to finish what I started. Ash, Primeape is once again yours," Anthony said to the young man.

"Really, you mean it. Well then Primeape what do you say you, Pikachu, and I try and take on the Kanto Pokémon League." The Pig Monkey Pokémon gladly accepted the offer by once again attacking its trainer.

"Well Ash, it was good to see you again, but I have to get back home to my family," and with that, Anthony began jogging out the door and back toward his home.

"Ash," said the Professor who had kept quite during the reunion of Pokémon and Trainer, "as much as I would like you to start on your journey, don't you think going back to your house and telling your mother that you will be leaving."

At this Ash slammed his palm into his forehead. He had completely forgotten about his mother. "Thanks Professor, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Anytime Ash, now get going. You wouldn't want to let that stew get to cold," the professor said with a knowing smile.

"How did you know she was making— never mind, see you Professor," and with that Ash recalled Primeape and ran through the door like Anthony had done only moments ago. Just after Ash left, Tracey came back into the room.

"Oh there you are Professor, I've been looking everywhere for you," said the boy in green.

"Everywhere except where I have been. Now come on we have Pokémon to attend to," was the Professors only reply as he walked out the door to go around back. He was soon followed by his young assistant.

On the small dirt roads of Pallet Town, Ash was running to tell his mother of his new plans. What new adventures would he encounter, and would he begin to pursue more than just his dreams of becoming a Pokemon Master? Only time will tell.

To be Continued

**If you read chapter one, you might be confused as to what is going on. Well here is an explanation:**

**I am going to write this story with sort of parallel story lines. Meaning that when chapter two began it was at the same time as the start of chapter one and the same goes for the endings as well. So basically all the chapters will be in pairs for a while, one with two, three with four, and so on and so on until eventually Ash and… the frontier brain that gets eliminated (no spoilers please(as if you didn't already know)) meet somewhere and then the story will become linear.**

**I hope that explains what is happening here.**

**So please review this story if you could, because I would love to hear your thoughts on this style of story and this chapter in general.**

**Also, Primeape rocks and I wish Ash hadn't gotten rid of him.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, no matter how awesome that would be.**

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Chapter 3: Battle Royale

The board room had been quiet for five minutes now. No one dared to speak. They just sat there, staring at each other. Scott was becoming a bit nervous that they would just start killing each other so he decided to break the silence with, "So, any volunteers"?

That was the wrong thing to say. Immediately, the Brains shot up from their seats, and started to debate who should get kicked out. Understand that debate to these people really means intense screaming and accusations against other peoples honor.

"Your facility takes too much money." "Yours is too hard to get to." "You smell bad." These were just a few of the things being thrown around the room. Scott tried to regain control many times but eventually sat down and let the Brains scream till their lungs gave out. While Scott was sitting he noticed that there were only six Brains standing. _Brandon, Greta, Tucker, Noland, Lucy, even Spencer is up. Wait, where is Anabel?_ It didn't him long to see her, sitting there with a thoughtful expression on her face. _Now what is she thinking?_

Anabel just sat there, thinking. _Maybe this is the opportunity I've been waiting for. If I could figure out a way for me to leave without them thinking I quit… yeah this could work._ Anabel stood up, placed two fingers in her mouth, and unleashed a deafening whistle to quiet the other Brains. They all clapped their hands to their ears in pain from the loud whistle. Afterward, they all looked to Anabel expectantly, hoping she had come up with something to solve their dilemma.

"I wish I would of thought of that," said Scott as he massaged his temples. "Well Anabel, you have the floor. What would you like to tell us?"

"Well," Anabel started, "I was thinking. Since the Battle Frontier is a test of a trainer's strength under differing circumstances, wouldn't it be best to get rid of the weakest." After some nods of affirmation Anabel continued, "So why don't we hold a winner-out battle royale, and the biggest loser loses their job." All the Brains began to nod, obviously liking the idea.

"Hmm, interesting proposal, Anabel, but don't forget that there are seven brains. There is no way to have a fair tournament," said Scott.

"Well, since Brandon is the ultimate challenge to the Battle Frontier, I think he should have immunity to it," countered Anabel. Now this idea, didn't go over so well with the other Brains.

"Well Anabel, I think your idea is good. Good enough in fact that it will be what we use to decide," declared the Boss of the Frontier. Although some of them didn't like it they went along with it anyway. They didn't dare argue with the Boss. "Alright then the Battle Royale will begin in one hour. It will take that time to set up a fair bracket. Also the Battles will be one-on-one." Again, no one said anything to this. They all just left the board room to get ready for their battles.

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The brains had separated throughout the building, preparing their Pokémon for battle. Anabel had chosen the rooftop as she liked the open area. She looked to the horizon to see that the sun was just starting to set. She removed the only pokeball she had brought with her from her waist and released its contents. Out came her favorite Pokémon, Espeon. _Hello, my friend, how are you._ Espeon responded with a small mew. Using her empathic ability, Anabel was able to understand her.

'I am doing just fine, master,' was Espeon's response.

_That's good. Then I would like to ask you, what you would think of traveling around the Kanto region._

'Uh, sounds like a lot of walking.'

_Yeah, and I would be doing it all,_ Anabel communicated with her Pokémon, slightly annoyed at its laziness.

'You make a valid point, and it might be interesting to see the world outside of Tohjo Falls. Very well, I shall accompany you. Can't have you getting hurt now can I,' said the cat creature with a slight smirk.

_Alright then, here's the plan. The way to decide our fate will be how well we do in these battles in about forty-five minutes. We have to lose but we have to make it look good._

Espeon gave its trainer a questionable look. 'Interesting plan, but I will agree none the less.'

_Alright, this should be easy with our telepathic link and all; no one will notice our moves._ Anabel said with a big smile on her face. Espeon just smiled back, happy it could make its trainer pleased.

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The time was up rather quickly and the six brains had once again gathered in the board room. Scott and Brandon stood in front of a large white board with a bracket drawn on it. "Alright everyone," started the portly man, "this is how the first round will go: Greta vs. Tucker, Spencer vs. Noland, and finally Lucy vs. Anabel." Almost immediately, the Brains found there new opponent and stared them down. Anabel played along with the staring contest, just to keep her ruse up. Calling everyone's attention back to him, Scott continued, "Round two will commence tomorrow, and it will be a three way battle with the losers of today."

The brains were ready, each one with their own strategy of how to win. The group headed out to the arena behind the Battle Frontier HQ. The first battle was all ready to begin, with Greta on the left side, Tucker on the right, and Brandon refereeing. Greta, always ready for a little pre-battle banter, yelled across to Tucker, "I'm going to put you in your place, you egotistical blowhard."

"Well I never," was all Tucker had to say. They both drew out their pokeballs and called out the pokemon that could decide their fate. Greta's Pokemon was revealed to be her ever-loyal Medicham, while Tucker's was his Arcanine.

"Battle, begin," shouted Brandon.

"Alright Arcanine, let's win fast with Aerial Ace," was Tuckers first call. Arcanine leapt forward into its attack.

"Medicham, dodge and respond with a quick ice punch to the face," Greta responded. Medicham jumped high into the air and charged its fist with ice energy. It began to glow a bright white as it reached full power. Medicham and Arcanine collided in the middle, creating a small amount of smoke.

"Ha, using a ice-type attack against a fire-type? Don't take me so lightly," said Tucker. As the smoke cleared the two Pokémon were battling it out in the center. Medicham's fist vs. Arcanine's head. In the end though, the ice-type move was able to overpower the flying-type move, a factor Tucker forgot about. Arcanine was sent flying, with part of its face frozen.

"Now Medicham, finish it with high-jump kick," Greta called as soon as arcanine was airborne. As soon as Medicham's feet hit the floor, it was in the air again, this time ready to end the first match and declare victory. The attack landed square in arcanine's torso area, knocking out the fire dog. "Sorry Tucker, maybe you should stick to double battle's," Greta said to her defeated opponent.

"Arcanine is unable to battle, the battle goes to Greta," came the official decree from Brandon. Tucker simply called back his Pokémon and walked way.

"Wow, what a sore loser," said the Arena Tycoon. She too recalled her Pokémon, but she went to the sidelines with her fellow Brains. "Well looks like I'm safe."

"Yep, and now it's my turn," said Noland confidently. He was sure that his superior strategic skills could win him his safety.

"Don't be so sure of yourself," came an older voice from behind the group. "To win, you'll have to beat me." Everyone in the group looked to find the Palace Maven sitting alone. He stood up and approached the left end of the battlefield. Noland understood that Spencer was just as eager as himself. Not wanting to keep the older man waiting, he ran to the right end of the field.

"Alright, the next battle shall begin, now," said Brandon.

"And let's try to make this one last a bit longer," said Scott from the sidelines.

"Alright, go Articune," shouted Noland. Soon a large blue bird flew into the open top arena. "You can't beat me, Spencer. I've studied the Pokémon and battle styles of all the Brains. I know your team by heart. And I know your one weakness: the Ice-type."

"Hmm, your studies can only take you so far. Unless you bond with your Pokémon, you will never win. Go Claydol.

"Ha, to predictable, Articuno let's end this now, Water Pulse." Articuno rose into the air and unleashed a stream of pressurized water from its mouth.

"Claydol, teleport and respond with rapid spin." In an instant, Claydol was gone only to reappear above Articuno. It began to spin at a very fast pace and rammed into the legendary Pokémon.

"We won't lose this match. Articuno, Ice Beam." Articuno opened its mouth and released energy that looked like white lightning. "I know all of your moves, Spencer. You can't win."

"Your overconfidence is your downfall. Claydol dodge and use Rock Tomb."

"WHAT, since when does Claydol know Rock Tomb." Noland was too distracted to notice the large boulders flying toward Articuno. By the time he realized the error in his calculations, Articuno was buried under a pile of boulders.

"Articuno is unable to battle, the winner is Spencer," was the decision made by Brandon.

Noland was simply beside himself in shock. He staggered back to the sidelines with the rest of the Brains, excluding Spencer and Tucker. As for Spencer, he simply said he was heading up to rest for the night. Scott told him where his room was and congratulated him on his victory. Noland was just mumbling, "How could I lose, how could I lose," over and over again.

"Maybe you just weren't lucky enough," was his only answer. Ironically, it came from Lucy, who was to participate in the next round. "Now sit back and watch the show. It's sure to be a good one." She turned to her opponent, the mastermind behind the whole tournament. "And you had better be prepared, we may be friends, but this is a battle and I expect you to give it your all."

"No worries Lucy. I'll make sure this battle meets your expectations," said the Salon Maiden. The final opponents made their way to their respective sides, Lucy on the left and Anabel on the right.

Lucy drew her pokeball and brought out her Milotic. "I know you were hoping I would bring out my Seviper, but I can't make it too easy for you," she said smugly.

"Don't worry, I don't need it to be easy to beat you," Anabel said, keeping up her façade. She wanted them all to think that she wanted to win. "Come out my friend." And with that, Anabel's loyal Espeon took to the field.

'Ready and willing' came the response. Of course only Anabel could understand it.

"Battle begin," declared Brandon.

_Alright then, let's start this with a Psychic attack_, Anabel said with her mind.

"Milotic, let's go. Iron Tail," commanded Lucy.

_Espeon, cut the Psychic, and meet with your own Iron tail._ Both Pokémon's tails began to glow a bright white and they slammed into each other. Because of Milotic's larger girth, it won the battle of strength.

"Good, now use Hydro Pump." Milotic reared its head back and unleashed a powerful blast of water at its opponent.

_Espeon, fake a dodge._ Espeon jumped up into the air. Milotic easily redirected the attack to the airborne Pokémon. Espeon was pushed against the wall. "No," Anabel called aloud. Although she was faking the battle, she was still concerned for her Pokémon. Luckily, Espeon was a better actor than Anabel, and faked unconsciousness.

"Espeon is unable to battle, the winner is Lucy," Brandon said. "And with that, today's battle's are over with Tucker, Noland, and Anabel, 'advancing' to the next level."

"Well those were some short battles," said Scott with some sadness in his voice. "And I thought that this would be more exciting. Oh well, it's getting late so I suggest that you all head off to bed. The rooms are on the tenth floor." After Scott made his announcement, he himself left the room.

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A while later, after everyone had gone to bed, Anabel remained up, talking to her Pokémon._ Well friend, tomorrow is the final round. Do you think we can pull it off?_

'Of course we can. We'll do the same thing we did today, and then we'll be on the road,' said the cat Pokémon with a slight bit of despondency in its pronunciation of the last word.

_How did you get so lazy?_

'Who are you calling lazy?'

_Uh, never mind. Let's just get to bed we have a full day ahead of us._ And with that, the traveler to be was off to bed. What adventures wait for her in the future? Stay tuned and find out.

To be Continued

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**AHHHHHHHHHHH, this was hard to write. I am no good at battles, I admit this. But at least I gave it my all right. That's all that really matters (oh who am I kidding. No one that's who.)**

**Anyway, this is still sort of an intro chapter. Chapter five should start the actual traveling.**

**Also, those inquiring about Ash's team, that announcement will come in chapter four.**

**So without further adieu, I ask you to please review this chapter. I have enjoyed reading them and I am glad that you are enjoying this Fanfiction.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is the property of Satoshi Tajiri and a bunch of other GAME FREAKs. **

Chapter 4: Nostalgia

Running through the dirt roads of the small town of Pallet, Ash had just about made it back home. He was only about two blocks away. He couldn't wait to get home and eat that stew. Oh, and tell his mother he is once again leaving home for months to go and capture Pokémon and compete in a league challenge. _I hope she won't be mad that I'm just up and leaving like this, but I digress._ He just kept on running until his house was even in sight, until a voice from behind called out to him.

"Hey, Ash, Wait up will you," shouted the voice. Immediately Ash stopped in his tracks. He knew exactly who this voice belonged to. Ash quickly spun around and laid eyes on his rival from so many years ago.

"Gary," exclaimed the surprised Ash Ketchum. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Sinnoh studying under Professor Rowan."

"Typical Ash, always behind the times," Gary said mostly to himself. "For your information, I just got back early this morning. And wasn't I surprised that when I went to see my grandpa, he tells me you had just left. So what's this I hear of you repeating your Kanto journey?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it. Why is that the first thing you want to know?"

"Oh, well I just wanted to wish you good luck is all. And there is no better way to wish someone good luck than with a gift," said the Pokémon Researcher while fiddling in his backpack. "Here, I got this for you in Sinnoh. That's why I went to grandpa's lab, to find out where you were. Had I known you were going on a journey I would have gotten you a more appropriate gift, but no gift is better for Ash Ketchum than," he finally found what he was looking for in his backpack and pulled out, "a hat."

Ash reached over and took the hat from Gary's hand and examined it carefully. It looked very similar to the hat he had worn on his original journey with just a few color changes. The bill and back part were black instead of red and the symbol in the front was a dark blue in place of the green. "Wow, where did you get this. It reminds me so much of my original. But those could only be won in a contest."

"Well that one isn't an official hat. It's a copy, hence the change in colors. I just thought that you might like it. Well, as fun as this reunion has been, I have some business to attend to. See you around, Ash."

"Good-bye, Gary" said Ash as he was still admiring his gift. And with that Gary was off just as quickly as he had arrived. When Ash looked up again, he was gone. Of course at this moment Ash had just remembered something: lunch…and his mother. He once again took off running toward his house, now wearing his new hat. It only took him a few moments to get there. He opened the door and walked into the kitchen to find his mother sitting at the table reading a newspaper.

"Ash, your back for lunch," said Delia. She then looked at the clock. "I guess it's more of a pre-dinner since it's too late for lunch," she said chuckling. It was true as the clock read four-thirty.

Ash just smiled sheepishly._ I didn't know I was gone that long._ "Sorry mom, but I have some really good news."

"You can tell me while you eat."

"Okay," said the boy who never turned down an offer of food. Ash sat down and was given a large portion of stew. Midway through his meal, Ash looked up and told his mother, "Well mom, I've made the next choice for my journey."

"Oh, really, and what is this choice," said Delia putting her paper down again.

"Yeah, I've decided to journey through Kanto again," said the boy proudly.

"Well I think that's a wonderful idea. Is it going to be just you and Pikachu, or will you be taking a full team," inquired the boy's mother.

"Wrong on both accounts mom, I'll be taking this guy," as he said this he pulled out a pokeball and released the Pokémon. "This is Primeape, a Pokémon I had long ago," at this the Pig Monkey put on a proud face and stood with its hands on its belt.

"I'm sure that you will do very well," said Delia smiling. She then asked Ash the question that had been bugging her since he got back home. "Ash, where did that hat come from?"

"Hmm, oh, Gary gave it to me on way back from the Professor's place," said Ash as he fixed his new hat on his head. Ash had finished his bowl and stood up and headed to his room. He soon reentered wearing the same clothes he had worn throughout Sinnoh, with the exception of the hat. "Well mom, it's time I was off. Ready you guys," Ash said to his two Pokémon.

"Ash, don't you think that it's a bit late for that," said Ash's mother, worried for her son.

"Nonsense, the journey to Viridian only takes two hours by foot."

"Well, alright, you can go. Just be careful, okay. Now you better be on your way," said Delia with a quiver in her voice.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be back like I always am," Ash said with a smile on his face. And with that, Ash, with Pikachu grabbing a ride on his shoulder, and Primeape, bolted out the door. Primeape was leading the group as it had been training like this for years. They ran for awhile till they came to a small meadow. Ash stopped and looked around the area, remembering that the first time he had been here; he was chased around by a flock of Spearow. Of course it was his own fault.

Ash couldn't remain on memory lane for too long, as his Fighting-type Pokémon was yelling at him to pick up the pace. Ash looked at Pikachu and they smiled at each other. He took off as fast as he could to catch up with his Pokémon. They ran for a while till they came to a waterfall. Primeape looked over the falls and jumped over the edge landing on the banks of the river below. It looked back at its trainer expectantly.

"Well Pikachu, looks like he wants us to jump to," he said as he looked over the edge. He swallowed hard, took a few steps back, and jumped off the edge. His aim was impeccable, as he was able to land squarely on top of the Pokémon waiting at the bottom. Primeape got into one of his moods again and Ash was forced to recall him. "You need to cool down for a while," Ash said to the pokeball that contained the angry monkey.

The rest of the trip to Viridian was mostly uneventful. Ash stopped a few times to reminisce about his first journey. As he neared Viridian, he came to a clearing in the woods. Ash knew this spot well. This was the spot Pikachu was struck by lighting and exploded. "You saved my life Pikachu. And we've been together ever since." Ash stood there for a little while longer until he decided it was to leave.

The sun had gone down just before Ash made it to Viridian, so when he arrived all the lights were on in the city. Ash stood on a hill admiring the sight. He made his way down the hill, into the city, and made a beeline for the one place that offered a good nights sleep in every town: the Pokémon Center. Once he entered the large building, he noticed that it was full of people. _I wonder why all these people are here._

Ash made his way to the counter to find a flustered Nurse Joy. "Hey, Nurse Joy, why are there so many people here," asked the newly arrived trainer.

"They are all here to get their Pokémon healed. They all challenged the new gym leader and lost. I tell you that guy is strong. He's undefeated," explained Nurse Joy.

"Wow, undefeated, well not for long. I will claim his first loss as my own victory," exclaimed Ash proudly.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible for a while, as he left town a few hours ago and won't be back for some time. That's why all these people came here, to challenge him before he left."

"Aw man, that stinks," said the now dejected trainer.

"Yes, well I suppose you want a room for the night, don't you."

"Yes I do, thank you very much," said Ash in a chipper attitude.

"Boy, you go through more mood swings than a middle-aged woman. Here's the key to your room. Thank you for choosing the Pokémon Center as your choice of rest, and have a nice day," said Nurse Joy.

"Thank you," Ash replied. _Man, what set her off. Maybe it's all these people._ Ash made his way to his room down the hall. He put his stuff down and took off all of his clothes, save his boxers. "Good-night, Pikachu," to this the yellow mouse squeaked sleepily. "Sweet dreams, buddy."

Pikachu was out like a light, but Ash remained awake for awhile. He was thinking about the new Gym Leader. _Undefeated huh, well I'll put an end to that. But until he gets back, I had better continue my journey. I can't just stay here for the next few weeks._ Ash continued his thoughts for about an hour until he gave up trying to get to sleep and stood up, careful not to wake Pikachu. He walked down the hall way into the main lobby of the Pokémon Center. He walked over to some of the chairs and sat down.

"Couldn't get to sleep, huh," came a voice from behind the counter. The voice was Nurse Joy. "Your that boy from years ago, who came here with his injured Pikachu."

"Uh, yeah that's me," said Ash with a nervous chuckle. "Glad you remember me."

"How could I forget, you blew up the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy said with a smirk.

"Yeah, sorry about that, it just sort of happened."

"Just don't let it 'sort of happen' again. Now why don't you get back to bed? If you need something to help you sleep, I can get you some warm milk."

"Thank you, I would really appreciate that," Ash said smiling. Nurse Joy walked into the back and Ash began to think to himself. _Wow, she comes in, reminds me of how I blew this place up, and then offers me warm milk to help me sleep. That's kind of strange, but I'll take it._ Soon Nurse Joy returned with the milk and handed the glass to Ash.

"You can return the glass in the morning. Now off to bed with you."

"Yes ma'am," and with that, Ash was off to bed once again. _For someone who was so aggravated earlier, she sure was nice now. Maybe she's a night person. The world sure is full of interesting people,_ Ash thought to himself as he downed the milk. He placed the glass on the bedside table and climbed back into bed. The milk did its trick and he was asleep in no time. The morning was approaching fast, and with it the next day of Ash's adventure. What awaits Ash? Stay tuned and find out.

To be Continued

**Yays, new chapter. And as promised with said chapter, comes my announcement on the teams of both Ash and Anabel, so here we go:**

**To answer one question, both of them will keep one team, not raise multiple. Also the teams will be mostly new, with maybe one or two old (not counting starting Pokémon). Another thing I want to say is what Pokemon will the teams be made of (no spoilers, don't worry). Ash's team will be made of: two Kanto, one Johto, one Hoenn, and two Sinnoh. Anabel's team will be made of: one Kanto, two Johto, two Hoenn, and one Sinnoh. But I'm not done there. I haven't decided on the whole teams yet. For Ash I have decided his Kanto Pokemon (obviously) and his Johto, but I have yet to decide his other three. And with Anabell I have decided one Johto (again, Obviously) one Hoenn and one Sinnoh. So I want you guys to decide what the other members of the teams will be (I don't care where the info comes from). Some rules: first, no legendaries, Second, only the final form counts toward a region (i.e. Magmar would be Sinnoh), Third and last, don't suggest Paras or Shuckle, just...don't. The Pokémon will be of variable types. Finally, at the end of chapters I will put a little list like this**

**Ash: 1 Hoenn, 2 Sinnoh**

**Anabel: 1 Kanto, 1 Johto, 1 Hoenn**

**So you will know what is still needed for the teams.**

**And lastly, please review this chapter. I can't tell you how much it means to me to see people are reading this story.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to someone who isn't me.**

Chapter 5: A Deal in the Dark is Worth Two in the Day

The city was dark, every light turned out. The clock in the park read three o'clock. Everyone was at home sleeping. Well, almost everyone. Celadon City had one building that was open twenty-four seven: The Game Corner. The local gambling joint where old drunks, medium age drunks, women, and ten year old children, could whittle away their hard earned winnings for a chance to hit it big. But inside this building was something even more sinister: The current HQ of Team Rocket.

Inside an office in the basement of the Game Corner, sat a man in a bright orange suit. Looking through the papers on his desk, he was constantly mumbling about a recent mess-up to one of his Executives. "Tell me, how on earth we could have missed that detail. A detail so important that it almost blew our cover and revealed the main HQ to the police. Now we're forced to hide in this old base."

"We said we were sorry sir," groaned the man standing next to the desk.

"Sorry doesn't fix the fact that you picked a location to do illegal testing on Pokémon, right next to the local POLICE DEPARTMENT," the man in orange bellowed. "Of all the incompetent things to do. Now the police are right on our tails. If they find us then it may be the end of Team Rocket."

"Now sir, I think you may be over exaggerating. Don't we have some money to bribe them," suggested the other man.

"What money, we spent it all getting the equipment for the experiments that's now in the hands of the POLICE," the man in charge screamed at his employee. He was about to continue raving about the incompetence of his employees, until he was interrupted by a grunt walking in the door.

After a quick salute, the grunt told the boss, "Master Giovanni, you have someone to see you."

"What, who could be so important that you feel the need to interrupt me," exclaimed Giovanni.

"I feel as though I take a higher priority than yelling at your Executive," said a voice from the other side of the door. The owner of the voice walked through the door, but that didn't do much to figure out his identity. Through the door walked someone wearing a black cloak with a hood that completely covered his face in shadows.

"Oh really, and just who might you be," said Giovanni.

"I don't think my name is important now. What is important is the fact that I have what you need to keep Team Rocket afloat."

"And what might that be."

"I am one of the richest men in the world. Not only that but I have a very high standing in society. If I were to back you financially, you would be untouchable."

"Hmm, interesting offer, but what do you get out of it."

"Well, as your new benefactor I would have a major say in what you use my money for."

"Seeing as which if I turn you down, I get thrown in prison, I will take you up on your offer. But just one question, what position do you hold that makes you so high standing."

At this the cloaked man lifted his right arm revealing a metallic armor. You could hear a light chuckle from inside the hood. "I'm surprised you haven't been following the news of your former gym. I have just been chosen as the new leader of the gym in Viridian." And with that, a blinding flash lit the entire room. "I shall be back later to discuss furthering this new partnership." And the cloaked man was gone.

"Sir do you think it was wise to make that decision so quickly," asked the Executive.

"You don't mess with people like that. I could hear in his voice the kind of power he wields. Had I turned him down, the police would be here faster that you could say 'you bumbling idiots'," and with that, Giovanni went back to work at his desk.

* * *

In the Battle Frontier cafeteria, everyone had gathered for a good breakfast. Well, everyone except Anabel. "That girl is just not a morning person. So which one of you wants to go wake her up," said Scott. Everyone in the room backed into the corner of the cafeteria. They all knew what Anabel was like if anyone woke her up. Even Greta was afraid. "Fine, I'll go." _And maybe she won't rip me to pieces._

Scott left the room heading toward Anabel's room. All the brains gathered again at their respective tables: Safe Brains at one table and those in jeopardy at another. At the table of Tucker and Noland, Tucker was trying to strike a deal with Noland. "Come on Noland, this will be a three way battle. If we team up, we will both save our jobs," pleaded Tucker.

"Yeah, save our jobs at the expense of Anabel," reasoned Noland.

"But the sooner we finish this tournament, the faster we can save up funds and get her back," countered Tucker.

Noland sighed. "It's never right to do wrong, to get a chance to do right." And with that the conversation ended. Soon Scoot came charging back in as fast as he could and tried to hide behind a chair, but to no avail. Everyone knew why he was scared. They were all scared now that Scott had woken up Anabel. Noland asked, "So Scott, how bad is she this time."

"Well, she's had worse."

Then the doors burst open to reveal a very drowsy Anabel. She stumbled though the cafeteria over to the breakfast buffet. Everyone kept their eyes on her knowing if someone lit her fuse, they would all be in pain. Luckily for them it seemed that she was not on war path, as after she finished her breakfast she calmed down. She yawned some and finally turned to Scott and asked, "So when does the final round begin."

Scott, relieved he would have to feel the wrath of Anabel, answered, "Well, it's nine now, and I have the three way field reserved for ten, so you have an hour."

"Okay, then I'm going for a walk outside." Anabel headed into the elevator, and pressed the button which leads to the ground floor. A few moments later, she arrived at her desired floor. She walked out the front door and headed toward the park. It only took her five minutes to get there and she was happy to see all of the Pokémon in the park, though it was mostly devoid of people. She wondered about for around half an hour, until she came to an intersection in the roads. She cut the corner a little tight and ran into someone, knocking her down but the other party stood firm. "Ouch," she said under her breath. She looked up at the person whom she had run into. He was wearing a long cloak with a hood. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," said the cloaked figure, whose voice obviously belonged to a male. Under the cloak, he was trying to see who he had bumped into, but the sun was too strong and he couldn't make out what the person looked like. "Here, let me help you up," he said as he held out his left hand.

"Oh, thank you," said Anabel. She took the man's hand and stood up. She looked directly into the hood of the man, but she couldn't see his face. "A little hot for cloaks, don't you think," she said as she tried to make out his face.

The cloaked figure just stood there, staring at her. _It couldn't be her, could it? Wow, she looks the same as she did all those years ago…Anabel…_. The man's thoughts came to a close when he opened his mouth and said, "Well it was nice running into you but I have some pressing business I must attend to." And he was off once again, going who knows where to do who knows what.

Anabel just stood there, wondering what just happened. After a while, she headed back to the HQ building and went straight to the field designated for the match. Everyone else was already there waiting. Scott turned to her and asked, "Did you get lost or something. You're thirty minutes late."

Anabel looked at the wall clock and saw that what Scott said was true. "Sorry, I kind of got into a little situation at the park and well, here I am."

"Never mind, just get to your place." Anabel looked at the three way field to find her spot. The field was a big circle with three triangles extending from it, all of them equidistant from each other. Anabel headed to the empty one and turned to face her two opponents, Tucker and Noland. Brandon was refereeing from a crow's nest hanging from the ceiling. Each of them called out their Pokémon from their pokeballs, with the exceptions of Noland's who just stepped out from behind him.

"Go, Swampert."

"Go, Articune."

"Go, Espeon."

Each of the Pokémon squared off in the center of the field until the call came from Brandon, "Battle begin." And the three of them were ready to begin the fight.

_Espeon, this should play out just like we want it too. Just keep up the act and when you feel you've taken enough damage to be considered out, just lay there._

'Yeah, yeah, let's just hurry this up so I can go back to sleep.'

_Lazy little…never mind, just open this up with a Zap Cannon to Articune._ Espeon began charging its attack.

"Swampert, fire a Mudshot toward Espeon to negate the Zap Cannon, and then follow up with a Water Pulse," Tucker commanded his Mud Fish. Swampert fired a clump of mud toward the face of the Sun Pokemon. After the attack hit its target, it began to charge a pressurized ball of water in its mouth.

"Articuno, fire an Ice Beam toward Swampert while it charges," ordered the Factory Head. And Articuno did just that, as it fired the white lighting from its mouth.

"Swampert, redirect toward Articuno," returned the Dome Ace. The two attacks met in the middle, freezing the Water Pulse solid.

_Espeon, grab that ball of ice with psychic and throw it at Swampert._ Soon the ball of ice was surrounded by a faint blue rim and suddenly flew to Swampert.

"Swampert, grab it and free it from Espeon's grasp." Swampert stood on its hind legs and stuck its arms out to catch it. Once the ball of ice was in its hands, it lept into the air and slammed it into the psychic cat. Espeon staggered around but was able to steady itself. "Follow up with Dynamic Punch."

"Not so fast, Articuno Steel Wing on Swampert." Articuno's wings glowed a bright white as it flew toward Swampert at full speed. Articuno proved to be the faster opponent, as it was able to land its attack on Swampert before it was able to land its Dynamic Punch on the dazed cat Pokémon. The Mud Fish swayed back and forth from the impact until it fell forward, stirring up the dust.

Everyone in the room held their breath as they waited to see if Swampert was unable to battle. As the dust settled down, they could all see the Swampert was staggering to its feet. It turned around to face Articuno, waiting for a command from its trainer. "All right Swampert lets finish this with—"

"Espeon is unable to battle, the match goes to Tucker and Noland," announced Brandon. Everyone was in shock as to what happened as they waited for an explanation from the referee. Seeing the looks of question he was getting, Brandon pointed to the spot where Swampert had fallen. Everyone in the room looked. Some gasped, some laughed. In the imprint of the Mud Fish laid an unconscious Espeon. As it were, when Swampert fell over from the Steel Wing, it landed on Espeon, knocking it out of the battle.

Anabel walked over to her Pokémon, and after thanking it for a job well done, recalled it into its pokeball. She, along with Tucker and Noland, walked over to the group on the sidelines. Brandon jumped down from the crow's nest and also joined them. "Well, Anabel, it looks like your plan backfired on you. But don't worry we'll all try to cut spending to get you back into your position," consoled the Boss of the Brains.

"Thanks, Scott, that means a lot to me," responded the ex-Brain.

"Well Anabel, would you like a ride back to your home at the Tohjo Falls. I'm sure that Brandon wouldn't mind," Scott said as he gestured in the direction of the Pyramid King.

Anabel thought about this for a moment. _Hmm, if I head back to Tohjo Falls then it will take a while to get back to the main region of Kanto. But if I ask them to drop me off somewhere then they might get suspicious. I have to think of an excuse for me to be able to go somewhere in Kanto without raising suspicion. Wait isn't my uncle staying in…yeah that will work._ "Actually, Scott," Anabel said after thinking about it for a while, "do you think I could get a lift to Pewter City. I have an uncle who is staying there and I was planning on visiting him anyway. This is just a good a time as any I suppose."

"Alright Anabel, we have a deal. But let's not say good-bye just yet. You see, I planned a going away for the loser of this tournament yesterday. So what do you say Anabel, care to go out with a bang," offered Scott.

Anabel, always up for party food, simply responded with a nod and headed back into the building. _This may possibly be my best plan ever._

The party lasted for hours as the Brains all consoled with Anabel. Anabel just kept up her façade, not wanting them to think she was faking. It wasn't till nearly seven o'clock that Anabel and Brandon left for Pewter. "So, Brandon, when do you think we should be arriving."

"We should be there by seven- twenty."

"Alright then, full steam ahead captain." What was waiting for Anabel in Pewter City? Is it only what she is expecting or is there something more than that? Stay tuned and find out.

To be Continued

* * *

**Yays, chapter. Yays epic subplot. And now that I'm done spazing I would like to thank everyone for their opinions on the teams for Ash and Anabel. As such the teams stand at**

**Ash: 1 Hoenn**

**Anabel: 1 Kanto, 1 Johto**

**So as things stand I still haven't made all the decisions yet (it's not that the suggestions were bad, it's just that I have to make choices to please different people and sometimes these don't blend well.) **

**As for this chapter, I bet you can guess who the cloaked man is. Not that I'll tell you but you can guess anyway. I hope I did better with the battle. It was still short but it was a three way battle so writing it was really hard.**

**Now that I'm done whining, Please review this chapter. I still need a few more Pokémon, and I would like to hear how I did on this chapter.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not have the skills to own Pokémon.**

Chapter 6: I'm on the Road from Viridian City

The moon hung low in the sky. You could hear the Mightyena howling at the moon. In the Pokémon Center of Viridian sat a small yellow mouse, staring out the window up at the sky. He couldn't get much sleep that night so he decided to occupy his time with a little lunar looking, though he did long for a conversation. As the clock struck three, Pikachu looked over to the dresser to see the pokeball of the other Pokémon on this journey. Against his better judgment, Pikachu decided to grab the pokeball and headed out to the courtyard of the Center through the window.

Once there, the Mouse Pokémon pushed the release button on the pokeball and out came the Pig Monkey Pokémon, yelling at the top of its lungs, ready for a fight. 'Shh, keep it down. You don't want to wake anyone.' Primeape looked at the yellow mouse. Then it looked around it. Realizing there was no fight to be had, it sat down next to Pikachu. 'Good, now sorry to wake you like that, it's just that I needed some conversation.'

'Meh, I don't mind much' said Primeape. 'I have been meaning to ask you how the master has been faring.'

'Master,' Pikachu inquired. 'Oh, you mean Ash. He's doing just fine. We've been through a lot since you've been gone.'

'I'd imagine so. As for me I have been training night and day for the day I would be considered a true blood champion. And today I sit before you wearing the evidence of such a feat.'

'Certainly the eloquent one, aren't you.'

'Proper speech is everything.'

'Says the monkey who goes into an uncontrollable rage if someone looks at him wrong.' The two Pokémon looked at each other until they both burst into laughter. They sat out there for a while, talking about what they had been through the past seven years. The conversation lasted until the sun started to peak over the horizon. They decided it would be best at that point to head back inside. When they got there, they were surprised to find Ash dressed and ready to go.

"Well did you two have fun last night," Ash said as he smiled at his two Pokémon. "Come on, we need to stop by the front desk before we head for the Viridian Forest." They headed to the front desk to see Nurse Joy. "Good morning Nurse Joy. Thank you for letting me stay the night."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. So where are you headed now," asked the nurse.

"Well, the first stop is Pewter City, so I'm headed through the Viridian Forest," answered the Pokémon trainer.

"Hmm, well if you start now you should get there by tonight," Nurse Joy told him.

"Really, because last time it took me two days to get through there," Ash informed her.

"Wow, it really shouldn't take that long unless you get really lost or walk in circles for a few hours," said Nurse Joy.

"Well there were a lot of distractions last time so maybe this time will go smoother," contemplated Ash.

"I wish you luck on your journey," said Nurse Joy as she watched Ash turn around to walk out the door.

"Don't worry. When I come back here I'll have seven badges and be ready to take down the 'supposed undefeated gym leader' and be on my way to the Pokémon league," said Ash with his signature grin.

Ash walked out the door and was on his way once again. "You should never predict the future. You should always be ready for circumstances to change," Nurse Joy whispered to herself, as she watched the Pokémon trainer go out the door. Ash was able to make it out of Viridian with relative ease, mostly due to the fact that the Pokémon Center was located right on the edge of town.

The path to the Viridian Forest didn't take long for Ash to traverse and he soon found himself in the midst of the dense forest. Ash and Pikachu had been walking for quite a while, until a slight rumbling could be heard from the Trainer and Pokémon combo. Ash just smiled sheepishly and said to Pikachu, "Guess we should have brought some food for the journey." Pikachu just slumped over and sighed. "Sorry buddy, but I didn't think of food until I got hungry." They just kept walking and walking through the forest, ever getting hungrier.

Unbeknownst to the travelers, there was someone watching them from the woods. This certain someone was wearing a heavy suit of armor. He peered out from behind his tree to see a traveler on the road. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and rushed the traveler. He drew his sword and pointed it at the back of the travelers head. "Traveler, I challenge you to a battle."

Ash spun around at the sound of someone's voice. What he didn't expect was to be looking down the blade of a sword. This shock only lasted a few seconds as he recalled another time this had happened in the same place. "That's an interesting way to greet someone. I accept anyway."

The Samurai stared at the traveler for a while until his eyes widened at the realization of who he was pointing his sword at. "Ash," questioned the Samurai. "Ash is that you? I haven't seen you in years. What are you doing here in the Viridian Forest again?"

Ash tried to react the best he could to the flood of questions. "Calm down, yes it's me and the reason I'm here is because I have to get to Pewter as fast a possible." Once Ash was done with the answers his stomach began to growl again. "Although I am a little hungry," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, here you can have this," as he said this he pulled a thermos from his belt and held it out, "it's my homemade soup. Don't worry I have some more at my cabin."

Ash stared at the thermos for a moment until the realization of what was being held in front of him hit him like a ton of bricks. He took the thermos and unscrewed the lid, pouring some of the soup into the lid and handing to his Pikachu, and then they both enjoyed the soup thoroughly and gave Samurai back his thermos. "Glad you enjoyed it. Now about the battle you said we would have," he said, taking back the thermos.

"Right," Ash said nodding. He ran a short distance and spun around to face the first opponent of his new journey. "Does one-on-one sound good to you." After receiving a quick nod from Samurai, Ash drew a pokéball from his belt. "Sorry Pikachu but I think that Primeape needs a test drive. Go!" Ash through the pokéball and out came the shaggy monkey.

"Hmm, that looks like a very powerful Pokémon, Ash," said Samurai, "But is it stronger than Heracross, I choose you." Out of the woods came a big blue beetle with a very large horn on its head. "Alright Heracross let's open this up with Mega Horn."

"Okay Primeape, I'm giving you the reigns for this fight, show me what you've learned," Ash told his fighting monkey. Primeape stared at its opponent who began to charge its own attack. And then, like a machine, Primeape was off. It ran directly toward its Bug/Fighting opponent with its fist reared back. As he got closer and closer, his fist began to glow brighter and brighter. Then, Primeape suddenly vanished into thin air. And just as suddenly as he had disappeared, he reappeared only inches away from the Pokémon charging its horn. Primeape let out a loud grunt and slammed its fist into the forehead of the Single Horn Pokémon. The force of the blow was enough to send the receiver flying several yards away until it eventually slammed into a tree. The match was over.

The two trainers just stared at the scene that was just played before them, both completely astonished at the power of the fighting monkey. It was silent for a while until it was finally broken with, "There is no doubt, that attack was an Aerial Ace." These words came from Samurai. "Heracross is the most powerful Pokémon on my team, and yet you beat him with one attack. That Primeape has been trained very well, Ash." At this Primeape began to jump around giddily, happy for the complement.

"I had no idea that Primeape had gotten this strong, and to have learned Aerial Ace…," Ash's words began to fade as he continued to contemplate the power of this Pokémon. After a while the two trainers came out of their stupor and recalled their Pokémon. After a quick exchange of words, the two of them begin to walk to the forest's edge.

"So Ash, have you attained your goal of becoming a Pokémon Master," said Samurai, trying to make light conversation.

"Ha, I wish," Ash responded. "But that's why I'm here, to retry the Pokémon league here in Kanto."

"Ah, so that's why you're headed to Pewter, to challenge the gym."

"Exactly, and after that one I'll continue to travel around and defeat them all," Ash said confidently.

"Well, aren't we confident, but this is where I take my leave, it has been nice talking to you again," said Samurai. "And maybe you could visit more than every seven years."

"Ha, funny," Ash said sarcastically. Ash continued to walk down the path out of the forest. It didn't take him long to come be completely free of the forest. "Well Pikachu, next stop Pewter." To this the small mouse Pokémon gave a small cheer and did a fist pump.

The small road to Pewter was devoid of people, sans Ash and Pikachu. Or at least that's what they thought. There was someone else on the road, they were just on a different part of the road. He had just come out of the Digletts Tunnel. He stretched a bit and walked over to a small opening in the wall of trees that formed a barrier to keep people out of the Tunnel. When he got through to opening, he saw someone walking toward Pewter, someone he knows very well. At the sight of this someone, he called out, "Ash, is that you? What are you doing here?"

When Ash heard his name called he looked around to see who had called him. His eyes rested upon his old friend and companion, Brock. "Hey, Brock, it's good to see you. But what are you doing out here."

"Well I was giving assistance to the Pewter Museum by searching a nearby Tunnel for fossils. But unfortunately I couldn't find any. So why are you up here?"

"I'm headed to Pewter to challenge the gym again. And just like last time, I'm going to win."

"I don't know, Ash. The Pewter Gym isn't what you remember it as. It will be a lot more difficult to win this time around."

"Oh really, well I think I can win no problem."

"Alright Ash, but you may have to put the match off until tomorrow, since I'm pretty sure he has already had two challengers today so I don't think he can handle another one."

"Who is 'he'?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't know but my younger brother took charge of the gym a few years ago."

"Your younger brother huh, you mean one of the children that grabbed a hold of me during my first challenge of the gym."

"Great times, right Ash. Anyway do you think you could wait until tomorrow for the challenge?"

"Sure thing Brock. Hey look, it's Pewter City." And what Ash saw was indeed the City of Pewter. Brock said he would escort Ash to the Pokémon Center but then he would have to head home himself. "You just want to see Nurse Joy."

"W-What is that supposed to mean huh," Brock said defensively. "I just thought you would like some companionship, t-that's all."

They continued to walk down the streets of Pewter, making some idle chit-chat. While they were walking, the city clock tower struck eight o'clock. "Wow, it's already eight. I had better get to the Pokémon Center before they stop serving dinner. Come on Brock pick up the pace." The pair ran to the Pokémon Center, with Ash leading the way. When they got to the Center, Brock ran to the desk to proclaim his undying love to Nurse Joy.

"Oh my sweet, sweet Nurse, can you cure me of what is ailing me. I seem to have been struck with the sickness of love, and the only cure is a date with you my sweet, sweet nurse."

Nurse Joy just sighed. "Come on Brock, you do this every day. It's getting old. Now if you don't mind I have other people to attend to."

Brock hung his head in shame from being rejected once again. He looked toward the cafeteria, thinking that Ash would have rushed there immediately, but he was nowhere in the cafeteria. No, Ash was still standing at the door staring at the back of a certain purple haired trainer's head, who was standing at the counter talking to Nurse Joy.

To be Continued

**Epic cliffhanger is epic. Next chapter is what you have been waiting for, the meeting of the main characters. How will they react to each other, although it seems Ash is already thinking deeply about it.**

**An announcement: The teams have been chosen. I just want you to know that in the end it was hard to choose but I had to pick teams that went well together. I tried to please as many people as possible.**

**Another announcement: That Pokémon conversation at the beginning, those won't happen often. Maybe every time a new member joins the team.**

**A Question: What should I do with Brock? Do you guys want him on the journey or do you not? Just let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**Without further adieu, I would like to thank all of those who have read my story, and I would like to deeply thank all those who have reviewed. It means the world to me. So please review this chapter, tell me how I did, and tell if Brock stays, or gets the eraser of death.**

**Sincerely yours, **

**The Twitch E. One**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:**

Chapter 7: Joining the Journey

The trip to Pewter had gone by smoothly, with not much conversation between the Brain and the ex-Brain. They had been traveling for about twenty-five minutes when the buildings of Pewter City had come into view. Anabel looked at the wall clock as they approached the city. _Well, seven-twenty, just as Brandon predicted. I guess he is on time for everything,"_ thought the purple-haired girl. Brandon, not wanting to block anymore streets, Brandon parked in the woods behind the city. Both of them exited the Pyramid to say good-bye.

"Err, um, uh," Brandon was stumbling over his words while he rubbed the back of his head. "Well Anabel, it was, uh, good working with you. Um, I-I'll do my best to help you get back your job."

"Uh, t-thanks, Brandon, that means a lot to me," Anabel said. Even though she was glad to be free, she was still grateful to the others for all they had done for her over the years. "Well I had better get going to my uncle's house. Goodbye, Brandon," said Anabel, hold out her hand for a handshake. Brandon just grabbed her and pulled her into a bear-hug.

"Goodbye, Anabel," Brandon said, still hanging onto Anabel.

"B-B-Brandon…can't…breathe," Anabel said between gasps of air.

"Err, sorry 'bout that," Brandon said as he let go. "But I really will miss you, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same. Goodbye, Anabel."

"Goodbye, Brandon," and with that Anabel was off to the city to see her uncle. _I never knew Brandon to get so emotional. Oh well, I guess he's just the Shy-type, hahaha_. Anabel laughed to herself about her terrible pun. It didn't take her long to reach the outskirts of the city. "Now where did he say he was staying? Somewhere near the museum, but there are no houses near the museum, unless he's…," Anabel dropped off her speech as she realized that her uncle was staying IN the museum, not near it. "Honestly, uncle, only you would live IN a museum." Anabel made her way into the famous Pewter Museum.

Anabel looked around the museum, but it only took her a few moments to notice her uncle. After all he was the only person who would wear a suit to a museum. Anabel walked up behind her uncle and tapped him on the shoulder, but nothing happened. Not one to be ignored, she took more drastic measures and wacked him in the back of the head, but still nothing. Now completely frustrated, she jumped on his back and cupped her hands on his eyes.

"H-Hey, what's going on? Who turned out the lights," came the voice of the person who had a girl on his back.

"Good to see you too, uncle."

"Hmm, I know that voice. Is that you, Annie?"

Anabel got off of her uncle's back. "Uncle, I told you to call me Anabel. Annie was cute when I was five but now I'm a little old don't you think."

"Aw, but you'll always be my little Annie. And I thought I told you that you could call me Steven. Uncle seems so formal. But before we continue this conversation, lets head to my place. It's kind of strange to be out here to have a conversation. Plus, I have fresh tea."

"Sounds good to me," Anabel said as she followed her uncle, the previous champion to the Hoenn league. Just as she thought, they headed to a staircase in the museum and went up to a door, which lead to none other than her uncle's current residency. "Really uncle, you're living in a museum."

"Don't mock my bachelors pad. I get this place for free because of my great research doing so much for this museum. But that's neither here nor there. What I want to know is what you are doing here in Pewter. Don't you have a Battle Tower to run?"

Anabel thought about this question for a moment, mulling over whether or not to tell her uncle that she had gotten fired. Eventually she came to the conclusion that it would be okay to tell him, "Well, you see I've been put on a sort of…probation period, while the Frontier goes through some financial difficulty." Steven just nodded in understanding.

"So do you have any plans for the time being?"

"Well I was going to travel around Kanto with Espeon."

"Just travel, is that all or is there more to it." Anabel shook her head in negative fashion. "Well, instead of 'just travelling' why don't you travel around and gather badges from the gyms. I hear the Kanto league is pretty hard."

"The league huh, sounds…interesting. I don't know, I guess I could give it a try."

"Well, why don't you give the Pewter Gym a try tomorrow? If you enjoy the challenge then you can gather the badges while you travel. If you don't like it then I guess you can 'just travel'."

"Alright, sounds fair enough," Anabel agreed.

"Excellent, in that case I have a gift I want to give you. I was going to raise it myself but I think that you can do a much better job than me," as Steven said this, he walked over to his table and grabbed a pokéball. After walking back to where Anabel was, he handed the ball over to his niece. Anabel just pushed the button on the front of the ball to release its contents. In a bright light, out came a small Pokémon with a mostly white body, but the top of its head was green with small red rounded-off horns.

"Ralts," is what it announced as it arrived once more into the world.

"You see, Anabel, I found this little guy while I was in Sinnoh. It was injured so I decided to take it under my wing. Like I said, I was going to raise it but I just think you could do a better job of it."

"Wow, thanks uncle," Anabel said as she knelt down to eye-level with the Pokémon. "Oh, uncle, do you think I could stay here tonight."

"Uh, sure, I have more rooms in this place than I can count. But I don't have any dinner for two so you will have to go to the Pokémon Center for dinner."

"That's fine with me, I like their food anyway. Come on Ralts," Anabel said as she picked up the small Pokémon. The new pair walked out of the museum and Anabel tried to get to know her new Pokémon better. _So, you come from Sinnoh._ Anabel projected her thoughts to the Psychic type.

'Yes, I do. I miss my home, but I'm sure that you and I can be good friends.'

_Aw that's cute. But I agree, you and I will be good friends. Say, what is your opinion on Pokémon battles._

'Well it sounds interesting. If you want me to participate I will, but I'm not that strong. I can only use weak attacks.'

_Aw that's okay little one; all that matters is that you give your best._

'Who told you that?'

_Uh, never mind, we're here._ It was true they had arrived at the Center. Anabel walked over to the counter holding her little Pokémon. "Nurse Joy, could you please feed my Pokémon." As she said this she released her other Pokémon for Nurse Joy to care for.

"Certainly, I will be right back," said the nurse as she walked into the backroom. She came back moments later. "All set, now is there anything else I can—" but that was all she could get out as someone else ripped he attention away. Anabel just stood there blinking wondering what just happened. She heard a somewhat familiar voice to the side of her.

"Oh my sweet, sweet Nurse, can you cure me of what is ailing me. I seem to have been struck with the sickness of love, and the only cure is a date with you my sweet, sweet nurse," said the voice.

Anabel heard Nurse Joy sigh, "Come on Brock, you do this every day. It's getting old. Now if you don't mind I have other people to attend to."

She noticed the person fall to the ground. _Where have I heard that name before?_

She continued to think about it, completely unaware of the other person in the Center. This other person saw her though. He appeared to be deep in thought. _Okay, I know I have seen that girl before. Ah, where have I seen her? Come on Ash you have to remember, ugh._ You could almost see the smoke coming from his ears. _Oh well, I'll just have to wing it I suppose._ Ash walked over to the girl at the counter and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello."

Anabel felt a tap on her shoulder and someone say hello. She turned around to lay her eyes on the person who not only won her Frontier symbol, but also won her heart. She would never admit this of course, as she was afraid of rejection. All of this began to run through her head at the mere sight of this boy. "H-H-Hello," she finally says, while blushing profusely. Ash, as usual, was completely oblivious to this sign of affection, as he was still trying to remember her name.

Brock finally returned from the world of rejection only to see Ash talking to someone. Brock immediately remembered her but could see Ash was struggling to remember. _Oh Ash, you are so lucky, but still so oblivious. Why can't I have all these girls falling over me. Oh well I better save him from drowning._ "Hey Ash, I see you found another old friend," said Brock once he made his way back to Ash. "How are you Anabel, do you remember me."

Anabel snapped out of her stupor when she heard Brock. "Oh hey Brock, of course I remember you," she said even though a minute ago she didn't even recognize him.

"Uh, Anabel, what are you doing in Pewter. I thought you lived near the Tohjo Falls," asked Ash. He was glad that Brock had come to his rescue.

"Oh, well I'm, uh," Anabel thought for a moment about what to tell them. "I'm here to challenge the Gym.

"Really, so am I," said Ash, completely ignoring the fact that this did not really answer his question.

Brock just looked on as the light conversation continued. During this whole time he seemed to have something on his mind. But before anyone could notice someone burst through the door. This person was Brocks father. "BROCK, THERE'S AN EMERGENCY. COME QUICKLY."

"What is it, what happened," said Brock.

"Susie ripped her dress again and you need come back and fix it," responded Flint, Brocks father.

"Dad, how is that an emergency, I though you learned how to sew."

"I did, but what's worse is, we're out of thread."

"WHAT, that is an emergency," said the alarmed Breeder. Turning to Ash and Anabel he said, "Sorry guy but I have to go. See you tomorrow." And with that the Brock ran out with his father.

Ash and Anabel just stood there wide eyed, wondering what was wrong with the scenario, until eventually they realized why they came there in the first place: dinner. "Hey Anabel, want to join me for dinner."

"Uh, sure," answered Anabel. _HE ASKED ME TO DINNER._ She is obviously not aware of Ash's natural courtesy and his complete obliviousness. The two of them went to the cafeteria to get their food and then found a table for two. "So Ash, why are you here for a Gym battle, didn't you already compete in this league?"

"Oh, well I just thought I would give it another go, I guess," answered Ash. "So, Anabel are you going to travel around and all of the badges."

"Well, maybe, I'm still not sure if I want to or not."

"Well, if you decide to, you could always join me," said Ash, once again just being courteous.

"Uh, well, I mean, err, I just…thank you," Anabel was panicking again.

"Okay, well I had better get a room before they're all taken."

"Wait, you're staying here? Oh no, I won't have you staying here. You can come stay at my uncle's place. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Really, I can, thanks Anabel," said Ash. The two of them finished they're dinners and went to get their Pokémon from Nurse Joy. She just handed them they're pokéballs and waved to them as they left. The two of them walked together making idle chitchat, until they began to approach the museum. "Uh, I thought we were going to your uncle's place."

"Don't ask," was her only response. The two of them made their way to the stairs which led to Steven's home. All the way into the house on top of the museum, Ash was wondering what kind of person lived in a museum? When they made it into the house they were greeted by someone sitting on the couch staring at rocks. "Uh, Uncle, what are you doing.

"Just studying some rocks," he said, oblivious to the fact that she had brought home a guest.

"Hey uncle, we have a guest, can he stay here."

"Uh-huh," answered Steven, still unaware of what she was saying.

"Cool, come on Ash I'll show you to your room," Anabel said, acting like she knew where everything was. After a while she just told Ash to just go into one of the many rooms in the house. Ash went into his temporary room for the night. Anabel went to hers, after trying to say goodnight to Steven. The two of them went to bed, ready for their gym challenges the next day.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Brock's house, Brock had just finished fixing a tear in a dress. Brock and his dad were having a small conversation after all the other children had gone to bed. "So Brock, with Ash showing up here I guess that means you will be leaving home again."

"I don't know dad. Maybe it's time Ash grew up and started to live on his own you know. Cooked his own food, cared for his own Pokémon, things like that. I can't take care of him forever."

"You never know son."

"Dad, this is not Bouldershipping."

"What was that son?"

"Never mind."

"Okay then, back to the matter at hand, how will Ash know how to care for his Pokémon and cook food, if no one teaches him how? All I'm saying is, maybe you should go with him and show him how."

"I can see your point. Alright dad, I'll do it, but only to teach Ash to live on his own."

"I never said live alone. He could always find a girl to do it. Like that girl that had the hots for him at the Center."

"Is it really that noticeable? It's a shame that Ash is about as aware as a Quagsire."

"Maybe that's one more thing you could teach him. Well son, as nice as this conversation has been I think it's time we went to bed. Goodnight son."

"Goodnight dad," said Brock, and they two went off to bed, ready for the day ahead.

* * *

The night went by quickly and soon it was morning. Ash woke up and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. Breakfast was boring and Ash just waited at the table for Anabel to get up so that they could head to the Gym. Ash waited, and waited, and waited. He was waiting for a long, long time, until finally Anabel meandered out to the kitchen. She grabbed the cereal and poured herself a bowl. There was no conversation between the two. Anabel eventually finished her breakfast and the two of them decided to head to the Gym so one of them could have their battle early and the other could have theirs later. "So Anabel, do you want to have your battle first," Ash asked while they were on the way to the Gym.

"Uh, I guess I could go first," answered Anabel. The two of them continued the idle chitchat, until they approached the Gym. In front the Gym stood the entire family of Brock, including Brock and his dad. Standing at the lead was the second oldest and current Gym Leader, Forrest.

"Alright, which one of you is my next opponent," declared the young Gym Leader.

Anabel stepped forward. "That would be me."

"Alright then, follow me," Forrest said as he led everyone into the Gym. As they walked, he gave the rules of the Gym. "The rules are simple; it's a two-on-two battle. First to lose both loses the match. Only the opponent is allowed to switch out. Is all of that clear?" Anabel nodded her head. "Good then take your place in the arena," said Forrest as he pointed to the end of the battlefield. Anabel drew her pokéball and released the newest member of her team: Ralts. Forrest called out a Rhydon. "Ha, that little thing is no match for Rhydon."

"We'll see about that," Anabel taunted. _Okay let's get this going with a Confusion attack._

'I'll do my best,' came the reply. Ralts unleashed a small amount of psychic energy toward the large gray Pokémon. Unfortunately for Ralts, the large Pokémon wasn't affected by the attack. 'This isn't going well. What do I do now.'

"Enough waiting," called Forrest. "Rhydon, use Earthquake."

_Uh-oh, this is bad. Ralts use Teleport to get away._

'Right,' and in a flash the small Pokémon was gone. After the attack ended Ralts reappeared on the field.

"Sneaky, but not sneaky enough, Rhydon, use Stone Edge." Rhydon slammed its fist into the ground, sending large rock flying up. It then swung its tail and smacked the rocked toward Ralts."

_You can't teleport again yet, Ralts. Uh, what else can you try?_ But it was too late, before Anabel could even finish, Ralts was down. "No, Ralts." Anabel called back her Pokémon and pulled out her next one. "This battle isn't over yet."

"Hmm, you won't beat me easily with only one Pokémon, especially judging from the strength of the last one."

_I'll show you, come out, Espeon._ And out came the purple cat-like creature.

'Ugh, what now, don't tell me it's another battle?'

_This is not the time for you to be lazy. We have to finish this first. Then you can be as lazy as you want._

'Fair enough.'

_Alright use Psychic to end this fight._

'A bit ambitious but alright.'

"Rhydon, use Hammer Arm." Rhydon charged toward Espeon with his arm raised in the air, ready to smash the cat creature. But he would never reach his target. During his rampage, his body started glowing light blue. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't budge a muscle.

_Espeon, send it flying._ Rhydon flew right into the ceiling, and then fell to the ground with a loud thud. Now the score was even, with both trainers having only one Pokémon.

"I'm impressed; though don't get your hopes up. My next Pokémon will win this match for me. Go, Armaldo." Forrest released his next Pokémon, a large armored bluish creature with large claws. "I had this guy imported from Hoenn. There's no way we can lose."

_We'll see about that. Espeon, start out with a Zap Cannon._

'Fine, let's get this over with.'

"Armaldo, lets win this right away, X-Scissor." The two Pokémon began to charge their attacks, but because of Armaldo's lackluster speed, Espeon was able to fire it's attack first. "Armaldo, use Protect." Armaldo stopped charging at Espeon and summoned a blue wall around itself. The Zap Cannon failed as soon as it touched the wall.

_Alright Espeon, let's finish with Psychic._

'Whatever.'

_Stop being so lazy and just fight._

"Alright Armaldo, let's try X-Scissor again." But the command came too late. Armaldo was already suspended in the air, just like the previously defeated opponent.

"Sorry Forrest, but this is checkmate," said the confident challenger. _Espeon, finish him._

'Gladly.' And with that, Armaldo received the same treatment as Rhydon, being smashed into the ceiling and falling unconscious to the ground. 'And with that, I am going to take a nap.'

"Fine, you deserve a nice rest anyway," Anabel told her Pokémon. Turning to Forrest, she said, "Good match Forrest. I was really worried there in the middle."

"Hmm, well anyway, here this is the Boulder Badge, given to those who defeat me. I will complement on your battle style, you are a very strong battler." Turning to the audience of the match, and specifically Ash, he announced, "I will be back momentarily. I have to prepare for the next match." And with that the young Gym Leader left to go to the back room of the Gym.

Over at the stands, Anabel joined Ash, Brock, and his family. "Well Anabel," asked Ash, "what did you think of the match?"

"If anything, these will keep me entertained while I travel," answered Anabel. "Alright Ash, I'll join you on your journey."

"Yeah," cheered Ash as he did a fist-pump. Turning to Brock, he asked, "So Brock what do you say, will you come to."

Brock looked at his father and then back to Ash. "Okay Ash I'll join you as well. BUT, this time I won't do everything for you. You are going to have to learn to cook and care for Pokémon. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Uh, sure," answered a confused Ash. Not really sure what he had just gotten himself into, he turned to see Forrest reentering the arena. "Yeah time for my match." Ash ran over to his side of the arena.

"Ash, I have a surprise for you," said Forrest as he released two Pokémon. One was a large ball of rock and the other was an enormous metal snake. "Do you recognize these guys? You should, as these were the same Pokémon you fought when you first challenged this Gym. Let's see if you can beat the next generation. Go, Golem."

"Alright then, I accept your challenge. Pikachu, let's rock his socks off." Pikachu called out its name and ran to the center of the field.

"Your Pikachu may have defeated Golem when it was a Geodude, but not now."

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

"What did I just say? Oh well, Golem Rollout." Golem rolled itself into a ball and rolled toward Pikachu as fast as it could. The Thunderbolt eventually hit the Rock-type but with no apparent effect.

"Don't worry Pikachu, just dodge and keep the electricity coming."

"Are you blind? Electric attacks have no effect on Ground-types." And he was right, nothing was happening to Golem. It just kept rolling around, missing Pikachu every time. Pikachu just kept on shocking the rock ball. Eventually, you could see small sparks surrounding Golem. "W-What's going on?"

"You should know, Mister Gym Leader. If you charge a rock with enough electricity, then it will eventually magnetize, forcing it to eventually," as Ash was saying this, Golem suddenly flew off course, ramming into a nearby wall and getting stuck, "always point north. Pikachu, finish it with Iron Tail." Pikachu charged its tail with as much energy as it could muster and slammed it into the walled Pokémon. "One down, one to go."

"Hmph, don't get to cocky. Golem Return, and go Steelix." Out from behind Forrest came the large metal snake.

"Pikachu, return," Ash called his exhausted over to him and pulled out his other pokéball. _Alright Primeape, I've looked up your move set with the Pokédex. You and I will wipe the floor with this guy._ "Go, Primeape."

"A physical attacker will do you no good against this guy. Steelix has one of the highest defenses in the known world."

"Who said I was going to use a physical attack," Ash said smirking. "Primeape, Focus Blast."

"No, I will not be defeated that easily. Steelix, dig under the ground."

"Quick Primeape, switch to a Focus Punch and aim at the ground." Steelix dove head first into the ground, just as Primeape began to charge its fist with power.

"Oh-no, Steelix, resurface, quickly," shouted Forrest. Primeape slammed its fist into the ground right as soon as the iron snake stuck its head out of the ground, both attacks canceling each other. Primeape leapt back a few yards, and out of instinct, began charging another Focus Blast. This went unnoticed by the Gym Leader, who was too preoccupied with coming up with a return attack, until it was too late. The attack struck Steelix square on the nose. The second match was over and all before lunch, too. "No, how could I lose twice in a row, and so quickly too," said the Gym Leader, very disheartened at the fact that he was an easy win for two opponents right in a row.

Brock went over to his brother to comfort him, "Hey Forrest, don't worry about it. You win some you lose some, right." This seemed to comfort the boy and he recalled his Pokémon, walked over to Ash and awarded him his badge.

"Alright, I got the Boulder Badge…again," announced the victorious Trainer. He then turned to his soon to be travel companions, and said, "Well you guys had better go get ready. We have a long journey ahead of us." What Ash said was true. There is a grand journey waiting for the newest trio; a journey full of Action, Friendship, and Romance. But what's around the first bend? Stay tuned and find out.

To be Continued

* * *

**Wooh, that took a long time to wright. I hope you are all happy: for one, Brock joined and for another, this was a lot longer than previous chapters. Also, this marks the end of the split story…for now. **

**This chapter marks the end of the quote-on-quote "intro" chapters. These first chapters were really to get to know the characters and a bit about my writing style. After this the meat of the story will start, which includes Anabel trying to get through to Ash, with some unknown help from Brock.**

**I think that's all so, Please review this story, tell me how I did, give critique or just say 'good job', it doesn't have to be a novel. Just reading what you have to say is what keeps me going with this.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: This is a disclaimer.**

Chapter 8: Gotta catch a few

Ash was sitting in the Pokémon Center drinking a bottle of water, while he waited for Anabel and Brock to arrive. Brock had said that he would need a few hours to prepare for the journey and Anabel said she still had to get ready for her journey. They told Ash they would meet him at the Pokémon Center right after lunch. It didn't take Ash long to finish his meal and now him and Pikachu were waiting silently for one of the two to arrive. "Hey Pikachu, what do you think is taking them so long," Ash asked the small rodent. Of course, all Pikachu could do was try to aimlessly communicate to its trainer. It only took another minute for Brock to show up and make his way over to the anxious trainer.

"Hey Ash," the Breeder called to the Trainer. "Did I keep you waiting?"

"Nah, it wasn't so bad. I had Pikachu to keep me company."

"Well Ash, this will be your third time through Kanto, and your second time challenging the Kanto League. Do you think that more than just an adventure can be had from this journey?"

"What do you mean by that Brock?"

"Well, I mean that maybe after this you'll decide what you want to do with your life. You can't be travelling forever. You might decide to be a Gym Leader, a member of the Elite Four, or you may get the shot at being Champion. All I want to say is keep your options open. You might experience more than just Pokémon, like maybe a little romance, hmm."

"Uh Brock, I don't feel that way about you."

"W-W-WHAT, I DON'T MEAN ME!"

"Oh…well that's good," Ash stopped there, and there was a long awkward pause shared between the two friends. Finally Ash decided to break the silence with, "So, uh, who DID you mean."

"I was talking about Anabel," said the exasperated Brock.

"Oh," Ash stated nonchalantly. It took a few moments for what Brock said to sink in. "W-Wait Anabel," said Ash as the revelation dawned on him. He immediately began to make excuses such as, "I don't even know her that well, plus how do you even know she likes me." These were just Ash's way of hiding his feelings. In fact they were so well hidden, that Ash himself didn't even know he had them.

"Uh Ash, It's pretty obvious that she likes you."

"Now Brock, that's ridiculous. I don't to hear anymore on the subject." The two of them stood there for a short while in more awkward silence, until Anabel came into the Pokémon Center wearing her normal clothes, with the addition of a light purple satchel swung over her shoulder. She walked over to her new companions.

"Hey there you two," she greeted the two of them.

Ash eyed what Anabel was wearing. "Hello Anabel. Hey, don't you think that you should have changed into clothes appropriate for traveling." Anabel just stared blankly at Ash. "Uh, never mind."

"Okay then," Anabel said, "don't you think we should get this show on the road."

"Well we were waiting for you so, sure let's get moving," Brock stated.

The group talked for a little while longer until they finally walked out of the Pokémon Center. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a certain disguised trio. Although their disguises consisted of only magazines held over their faces, it got the job done. As Ash and company left the Center, the male on the left said, "Jesse, they're on the move, what do we do now?"

"We follow them James," said the female who went by Jesse.

"Yeah, but we've been tracking the kid for so long now, can't we do something else."

"No, James, we now have direct orders from the boss to track the kid. I'm not happy about it either. Not that the order even came from the boss."

"Yeah, it came from that weird cloaked guy. Who does he think he is bossing around the boss?"

"He thinks he's the guy that Giovanni is indebted too, and he would be correct in that assumption."

"Okay, but what's the point of being a criminal organization if he just buys all of the resources and all actions have to go through him."

"Hey, while youse two are debating our new designation, the twoips are getting away," the third member of the trio finally spoke up. The two known as Jessie and James, first looked at said member, then at each other, and finally to where the twerps had originally been standing.

"Ah, Meowth," exclaimed Jesse, "why didn't you say anything earlier." But before Meowth could answer, he was being dragged away by Jessie, as they attempted to catch up with Ash.

Ash, Brock, and Anabel made their way through town toward the eastern exit. There wasn't much conversation going on, as Ash was recovering from the confrontation with Brock so he was walking a few feet ahead, and Anabel was nervously staring at Ash, all the while Brock could see the obvious feelings the girl had for him. _Ash you idiot, why can't you see how she feels for you. Alright then, I guess it's up to me to play matchmaker._ And so, the group all walked ahead silently, each one deep in thought.

They soon made it to the city gates, if you could call a sign that said 'Now Leaving Pewter City' a gate. The group was still quiet, until they heard a voice calling to them, specifically Ash. "Ash, hey Ash," the voice called from the path out of Pewter. Ash knew the voice to belong to Tracey. "I'm glad I ran into you Ash, you see we had this problem at the lab and a few of the Pokémon escaped."

"What, that's terrible," exclaimed the Trainer. "Did you get them all back?"

"Well that's the problem, we got all but one of them back," explained the Pokémon Watcher. "And that one just so happens to be yours."

"Well which one was it, Tracey," said Ash.

"It was Gible, we looked all over Pallet but we just couldn't find it, so we thought that maybe it had gone looking for you, so the Professor sent me to inform you of its disappearance. Keep an eye out for it and if you find it please let us know."

"I will, and the same goes for you too Tracey."

"Right, well I had better get back to the lab. Good seeing you again Ash," Tracey called back as he ran toward Pewter's southern exit. Through all of this, Brock and Anabel simply stood behind Ash, listening to what Tracey was saying.

Brock was the first to speak up. "Well Ash, should we start looking for Gible?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Nah, if what Tracey said is true and Gible is looking for me, then we'll run into him eventually. So until then, we'll just keep on our way and if we find him, good for us, if we can't, well it's not like he can't take care of himself."

"Alright Ash, it's your decision," said Brock.

The group fell back into silence as they walked out of Pewter and onward on their journey. Anabel took this moment to ask a question, "Hey Ash, how many Pokémon have you captured anyway."

"Uh, wow, let's see," Ash began to do a bit of math in his head. "I'm guessing around thirty-four, give or take a few.

"Whoa, that's a lot of Pokémon. I really envy you Ash. You've been able to travel around and catch Pokémon. I never got to have that experience."

"Wait, you never caught Pokémon before? But what about Espeon, Metagross, and Alakazam?"

"Well," Anabel began to turn red in embarrassment, "you see, Eevee was my first Pokémon, given to me by my dad, Uncle Steven gave me one of his Beldam, and Abra was a gift from Scott when I joined the Frontier. So you see I never had a chance to catch Pokémon."

"Man, Anabel, that's a real shame. Nothing feels better than catching and raising your own Pokémon."

Brock took this moment to begin sparking the two of them toward each other. "Hey, Ash, since you started on this journey, you haven't caught any new Pokémon have you," he asked Ash, who shook his head, "and Anabel you haven't caught any Pokémon, uh, ever," Anabel returned the same response as Ash, "then I propose a challenge between the two of you. Both of you go looking for Pokémon, and whichever one of you makes it back with a new Pokémon, doesn't have to help with dinner. What do you think?"

Ash, always up for a challenge, was eager to accept, but Anabel wasn't so confident. "Uh, I don't know Brock."

"Oh come on Anabel," Ash pleaded. "It'll be fun, and there's no better time to get experience then from the very beginning. Or are you just afraid you can't beat me?"

That was all the inspiration Anabel needed. "I don't think so. I think you're going down." _Note to self, get better banter._

"Alright, if both of you are in, then you better get going, I'll be getting dinner started in an hour, so you have until then." Ash and Anabel both started running into the woods that surrounded the path. Brock just smiled to himself at how easy it was to get those two to loosen up. Brock just started a small fire to start making some tea while he waited for the two of them to return.

It had been twenty minutes or so and Ash was having no luck. It was like the forest was devoid of Pokémon or something. Ash, being the impatient guy he is, was just about to give up, when he began to hear a light chirping sound coming from the trees. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder to stand the ground in front of its trainer. The chirping got louder and louder, until, finally, four Pokémon dropped from the trees. They were grey with brown claws and small green wings. Ash brought out his Pokédex to see what these things were. "Nincada, the Trainee Pokémon. It grows underground, sensing its surroundings using antennae instead of its virtually blind eyes."

"Well Pikachu, looks like we found what we were looking for." The four Pokémon continued to chirp louder and louder. Ash was just about to give an order to Pikachu, when the four Nincada stepped aside and a fifth one stepped into the clearing. But Ash noticed that something was different about this Nincada from the other four. The scales on this one were gold instead of grey. This took Ash by surprise and he was caught off guard when the gold Nincada began to charge toward Pikachu. "Pikachu, looks like we're fighting this one, now dodge." Pikachu was able to sidestep out of the way of the charging Pokémon just as it slammed its claw into the ground.

The two Pokémon squared off. Nincada charged its two claws as it once again ran at Pikachu. "X-Scissor, huh, well then Pikachu, answer with Iron Tail." Pikachu leapt into the air and charged its tail to full power and brought it down on Nincada. Nincada defended with its two already charged claws, with the attacks ending in a stalemate. Nincada chirped angrily at Pikachu and spread its wings out. They soon began to glow brighter and brighter. "Glowing body parts, now what attack does that again," Ash began to think long and hard until it struck him. "Pikachu, that's Solarbeam, get away from it."

Nincada spread its claws out and unleashed a powerful beam of solar energy at Pikachu. Luckily, the order to dodge got there just in time for Pikachu to dive to the side right before he was hit with the attack. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack." Pikachu sprinted toward the golden bug Pokémon and hit it directly in the face. It flew back through the air and it landed on its back. Ash saw this and took the opportunity to throw a pokéball at it. The ball came in contact with the Bug/Ground-Type, and drew it into the ball. It landed on the ground and began to shake violently, back and forth, back and forth, over and over again, until it finally gave out a small ding, signifying a successful capture.

The other four Nincada hung their heads and headed back into the woods. Ash ran over to the pokéball that contained his new Pokémon. He lifted it up, examined it a bit, then turned to congratulate his Pikachu for a job well done. Then, he began to make his way back to Brock, but he didn't get very far when he heard a scream, a loud blood curdling scream coming from the forest. It didn't take Ash long to figure out who was screaming, and he took off in the direction of the sound.

Ash ran and ran, toward where the screams were coming from, until finally he came to a small clearing in the woods and saw Anabel sitting backed up against a tree while staring ahead with evident terror in her eyes. She looked like she was clutching something but Ash couldn't tell what it was. Ash then looked at what had Anabel terrified. There was a pack of three Mightyena snarling at the terrified girl. Ash didn't really understand what was going on, but he could get an explanation later, now he had to help her. He leapt out in between the Mightyena and Anabel. She looked up to see that Ash had come to her rescue, she smiled slightly but she fainted afterward. The Mightyena snarled at Ash at bit but when they saw no fear in his eyes, they all fled.

Ash turned to see Anabel lying on the ground, unconscious. Ash knelt beside the girl and looked her over to see if there were any injuries. Finding none, Ash began to debate how he was going to get the girl back to camp. After a while he came to the conclusion that the best way to get her back was simply to carry her back. At the thought of this, Ash blushed slightly. He sat her up and picked her up bridal style. She was a lot lighter that Ash had anticipated, so he stumbled back a few steps. Once he regained his footing, he began to make his way back to camp. On the way back, Ash could swear he could smell flowers. He liked the smell but there weren't any flowers around the area. Ash once again blushed lightly when he realized that it was Anabel that smelled of flowers. Ash looked at Anabel and once again noticed that she was clutching something in her arms. He tried to see what it was but it was no use, her arms were blocking his view so he just brushed it off as something he'll learn later.

Ash was able to make it back to Brock without much trouble and once Brock saw the unconscious Anabel, he ran up to Ash to help him. They laid her on the table that Brock had set up. After Brock had given her a quick checkup, he turned to Ash with a few questions, none of which Ash had the answers to. He simply told Brock what he saw, and that they would have to wait until Anabel woke up to get the full story.

They were sitting on the ground around the fire, and Ash was frequently looking up at Anabel to see if she was waking up. Brock took notice of this action and smiled lightly at his close friend. Unfortunately, this moment was broken with a large snap followed by three thuds. Ash and Brock turned to see what had happened, only to see Team Rocket piled on the ground. "Oh, come on," said an irritated Ash, "you three are still stalking me? When will you get the hint that you can't win."

The trio jumped up from the ground and Jessie said, "We are not stalking you."

"But Jessie, I thought we were stalking him."

"Shut it, James," Jessie told her blue haired companion. Turning her attention back to Ash, "It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like we want to do this, but we have direct orders not to steal your Pokémon, so you can rest easy knowing your safe, at least for now."

"Jessie I have a question."

"What is it now James?"

"Normally Meowth won't shut up, why isn't he saying anything."

"Maybe because the writer can't write in a New York accent."

"Did you just break the forth wall?"

"By saying 'the forth wall' you break the forth wall, James."

"That's not very nice Jessie."

"Pikachu, thunderbolt."

"Yeah what he sa—wait what." The trio looked up just in time to see a large bolt of electricity headed toward them. And in unison they said as they flew off into the distance, "Team Rockets blasting off again," ding.

After that, Ash and Brock heard a bit of stirring behind them, and they turned around to see Anabel sitting up with a dazed look in her eyes. The two of them ran over to the girl. "Where am I? What happened? Last thing I remember was being attacked by some Pokémon and then it all went fuzzy."

"Well as for where you are, you're back at camp. As for what happened, Ash here rescued you from a pack of wild Mightyena."

"M-Mightyena, did you say Mightyena."

"Yeah, could you tell us what it was all about?"

Anabel bit her lower lip in embarrassment. "S-Sure," she began to explain the whole situation, "I was walking around looking for some wild Pokémon, when that pack of Mightyena jumped out at me. Had it been a pack of any other type of Pokémon I would have been fine, but the Dark-type just simply terrifies me."

"Why is that, Anabel," asked a concerned Ash.

"Well, as you know, I have the ability to read the minds of Pokémon, so when I look at them I can almost automatically read its thoughts. It's just that the thoughts of Dark-type Pokémon are evil, especially wild ones. Those horrid images that run through they're minds, no one should ever have to see that." Anabel began to breakdown into tears. After a while, the tears subsided and she looked up at her two new friends and smiled.

After the small fiasco, Ash decided to ask the question that's been on his mind from the beginning. "Uh, Anabel I do have one question. What have you been clutching this entire time?"

Anabel looked at Ash, blinked a few times, and then looked down to see what Ash said was true, she was indeed tightly holding onto something. "Oh, I remember, when I backed up against that tree, something fell out. I didn't even know what it was, but I guess I was just holding it instinctively." Anabel suddenly felt the object in her arms start to wiggle around. She released her grip on the object, and out popped a large acorn with feet. It spun around a bit, and then fell over, its eyes in swirls.

"Hey, that's a Seedot," said Brock, "but it looks exhausted, probably from you holding it in that death grip."

Anabel picked up the small Pokémon and examined it. "I think it's kind of cute. I think I'll keep it." And with that, Anabel drew out a Pokéball from her satchel and gave it a light toss at the Acorn Pokémon. After a short while there was a small ding sound heard.

Ash leaned over to Brock and whispered in his ear, "Do you think we should tell her what Seedot evolves into?"

"Nah, let's let her figure it out."

"So Ash," said Anabel, "did you catch anything?"

"Hm, oh yeah," Ash drew out his newly caught Pokémon and released it into the world. The golden Nincada greeted the world with a loud chirp.

Brock was astonished. "Whoa, a golden Nincada, I've never seen this before. It must be really rare. You're one lucky guy Ash."

Anabel stared at the Pokémon. "Uh, Ash, your Nincada doesn't have much of a personality."

"Why do you say that?"

"Cause all its thinking about is 'bananas'." At this everyone burst out laughing. Once everyone had calmed down, Ash reminded Anabel that since she lost the challenge, she had to help with dinner. After a bit of arguing, Anabel decided to just give in and help. The group enjoyed a hearty dinner and then they headed off to bed. But, the night is just beginning and what waits in the shadows for our heroes. What waits for them tomorrow? Stay tuned and find out.

To be Continued

**I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. But please let me explain. First I would like to say that in the last authors note I had a lot more info that I went blank on when I was writing it. That being said, this will be a bit longer than usual. Okay, so on the fourth of October, my school sent my class on our class trip so I had no way to even think of writing. Then when I got back the following weekend, I was dead tired, so I didn't really have the inspiration I would need to write. Then this past week, my teachers pile on two week of homework saying that because we missed a week, we had to make the work up. So Saturday came and I was ready to write, and my Microsoft Word crashes. So I come back today, October seventeenth, and I have finished the next chapter. I hope that explains why it took so long and you don't need to point it out to me…please.**

**The other point I completely forgot last time was that I was going to explain how I connected Anabel and Steven as being related. I kind of scratched it in this chapter but I just want to clarify. Anabel and Steven are from the same region. The only way to ever get a Metagross in-game is to get a Beldam from Steven, this is how it is in every game…to my knowledge. Anabel has a Metagross, which she must have gotten from Steven if we go by game logic. Lastly, Anabel never really traveled in my story, so she couldn't have won against him and earned his respect so he must have given it to her for another reason. And that's my explanation…yeah.**

**Alright now onto this chapter. I really enjoyed this one. It had some good humor and some good shipping material (though I may be pushing it with the bouldershipping jokes). Also, about the cloaked man, I will continue to build his character throughout this whole fanfic, but he won't be revealed until much later (but feel free to keep guessing, here's a hint: He isn't an OC). That's all I have to say about the chapter.**

**This is my final anoucment point (sorry this is taking so long, but if you are reading this after Halloween 2010, go ahead and skip this paragraph if you want to). What I was thinking, and this was just on a whim, was I wanted to do a Halloween Special. But I don't want to do Abilityshipping (gasp). I really want this to be my main ability fic for now. So what I want to know is what other pairings (besides AshxAnabel) do you guys like. Put it in your review somewhere and I will either pick the one that gets the most picks or the one that I think would be the most fun. Just a few rules if you want yours picked: 1. It can't be yuri, yaoi, or with a Pokémon, 2. I will probably only consider Ash pairings, but i do accept crack pairings, 3. It has to be put in the review section for me to count it. Yeah that should be everything. ( I just hope this works like I want it too)**

**And finally, I would once again like to ask you guys to review this chapter as after all this time I hope I haven't lost your love.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: It was a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater.**

Chapter 9: Mt. Moon and Beyond

The sun had gone down. The darkness had crept over the small wooded area. Most denizens, Pokémon and people alike, were sleeping. Ash and friends were no exception. After dinner they all headed off to bed under the starlit sky. Ash was sound asleep and snoring slightly, with Pikachu sleeping right beside him. Brock put his sleeping bag a few feet away from Ash to his left. On his right, in a purple sleeping bag no less, rested Anabel and directly on top of her laid her Espeon, purring softly in sleep. They were all resting peacefully, unaware of a guest visiting the camp site.

In the trees above the camp, on one of the branches, stood a man wearing a dark cloak. He was just looking at the group sleeping, and if you could see his face under the hood, you would see a face of inquisition. But he just stood there, staring. His tranquility was interrupted by a disturbance in the bushes below him. He looked down only to find everyone's favorite idiots.

"James, stop making so much noise."

"Don't act like you're doing any better, Jessie."

The cloaked man just sighed and jumped from the branch he was perched upon, landing directly behind the trio. The motion caught the attention of the trio. They're initial emotion was fear, but after a moment, they realized who had joined them and a more angry emotion took its place.

After a moment of silence, Jessie decided to start the conversation. "So what do you think you're doing here Mr. Mysterious?"

"I don't think you are in any position to be asking questions," responded the cloaked man in a cold, emotionless tone.

"We don't answer to you, we answer to our boss, Giovanni," said James.

The cloaked man gave a slight chuckle. "And your boss answers to me. You are too follow the orders you are given. "

"Oh please," Jessie retorted. "Team Rocket isn't even the same. We are a criminal organization. But we haven't done any crimes since you took charge. How are we supposed to dominate the world legally?"

The cloaked man had become slightly irritated at Jessie's constant whining. "Enough, I have had it with you three. Your mission is to keep track of the trainer known as Ash Ketchum. If you fail me, or I find that you have interfered, then I will personally show you my true power." And with that the cloaked man disappeared into the shadows.

"What do you do now Jessie," asked James.

Jessie just sighed. "I guess we have no choice. We have to follow orders lest we fall prey to the man even Giovanni fears."

"Okay, but does that mean we have to watch them while they sleep. It seems kind of creepy if you ask me."

Jessie just slapped him and returned to watching from behind the bush. Soon James got back up and the three continued to watch diligently for at least five minutes before they all fell asleep. The morning was closer than they thought.

Brock was up as early as always to prepare breakfast, eight o'clock. It was another half hour till Ash woke up. He stretched some, gave Pikachu a quick scratch, and went over to see what was for breakfast. Brock had made bacon and eggs for three people but one of those people didn't seem to be waking up. "Strange," said Brock, "I thought that someone like Anabel would wake up earlier than you Ash."

"Very funny, she's probably just tired from yesterday's excitement. I say we let her sleep some." So they waited and waited. They waited a long time till the clock hit eleven, and Anabel finally began to wake up.

She stood up and stretched some. She looked over to Ash and Brock who were sitting on some fold up chairs. She walked over with a somewhat pleasant look on her face. "Good-morning guys," she said, "what's for breakfast."

"Well we still have some bacon and eggs but they are a bit cold."

"That's okay; I'm used to cold breakfasts." So Brock got her plate and she began to eat her food without complaints.

While she ate, she asked Ash and Brock a question. "So, where are we headed guys?"

"Well if I remember correctly," Ash said, "we are headed to Cerulean City, and to get there we have to go through Mt. Moon, right Brock?"

"Well Ash, we really don't need to go through Mt. Moon. Recently a path has been made to pass around the mountain."

"Aw really, cause I really wanted to see Seymour again. It's been seven years since we've seen him and I was hoping to do a little catching up."

Brock just rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see them, "I guess we can go through but let's not take too long. We need to get to Cerulean before night fall."

"Awesome," cheered Ash.

Anabel had finished her meal and was just listening to today's plans. "Well it sounds like we have a full schedule. Well then, I have just one more question: who's Seymour?"

"He is a scientist that studies the Clefairy of Mt. Moon. Seven years ago we helped to save the moon stone from Team Rocket, even though in the end it was destroyed. I was just thinking that I haven't seen him in so long that this was a good opportunity to see him," explained Ash.

"Wow, he sounds like a really interesting person. I can't wait to meet him. Well, we had better get going," said Anabel. The group packed up their sleeping bags and other camp supplies and headed out. It only took a few moments to see the peak of Mt. Moon over the trees. The three of them approached the cave at the base of the mountain. But something seemed off. The cave was quiet, without the sounds of Pokémon coming from the inside. Anabel couldn't even sense any Pokémon inside. But despite this, they continued into the mountain.

Ash and Brock were able to navigate the cave pretty well and Anabel just followed. Ash saw the chamber of the moon stone up ahead and ran to get there first. But when he got there, the room was empty. No Moon Stone, or at least what was left of it, no Clefairy, not even Seymour. Brock and Anabel caught up to where Ash was standing. They were just as surprised to see an empty room as he was, though Brock was a bit more surprised than Anabel, as she didn't really know what to expect. Ash just stood there dumbfounded staring into the empty room. However, Anabel walked to the center of the room and looked from side to side. "Well this is slightly disappointing."

"You're telling me," groaned Ash, "and I was so looking forward to seeing Seymour."

Brock was a bit curious why Ash was so eager to see Seymour again, but could understand his disappointment. "Well, maybe Seymour and the Clefairy left for the moon."

"I guess so," Ash said but still felt let down.

Seeing as Brock failed to cheer Ash up, Anabel gave it a shot. "Hey Ash, I've got an idea."

"And what would that be."

"Well we have this big empty room, and we both just caught some new Pokémon, so why don't we have a quick battle with them. I think it would be fun."

At the sound of that, Ash perked right up. "That sounds like a great idea Anabel. But I'm going to need some time to prepare."

"Sounds good, so how about ten minutes."

"Fine with me; Brock can you referee." Brock nodded in agreement and the two combatants began to make they're preparations. Ash was ready faster than he thought, as Nincada was eager to battle. After a quick check of any other move Nincada may know other than X-Scissor and Solarbeam, and finding only Leech Life, Ash was prepared. Anabel on the other hand was not so ready.

She had released Seedot and communicated with it telepathically, though it was slightly harder since it wasn't a Psychic-type. _Okay little guy, you ready for a battle?_

'B-battle, but I-I can't fight.'

_What do you mean, anyone can fight. Here let me see._ Anabel placed her hand to Seedot's forehead. _Hmm, let's see. Harden, Growth, and Bide. Not the best move set but I'm sure we can still put up a good fight._

'That's n-not what I meant. I mean t-that I don't w-want to f-fight. I don't l-like violence.'

This didn't sound too good for Anabel. She had a pacifistic Pokémon and three minutes. It didn't look good. _Oh come on. It's just a little friendly competition. Won't you do that for me?_

'I-I-I don't know if I can do anything. But I s-suppose I could g-give it my best.' Anabel stood up and turned to see Ash grinning and his Nincada ready for combat.

"Alright, are both parties ready," announced Brock. After receiving a nod from both of them he started the match.

_Alright little guy, just do as I say and everything will be alright, now use Harden._

"Alright Nincada, lets open with an X-Scissor." Nincada rushed at Seedot, who had just finished executing its technique.

_Alright, now use Bide and take that attack head on._ Seedot obeyed the command and its body was outlined in a bright light just as Nincada came in striking distance. Nincada slashed down on the Grass-type and sent it sliding back. _Come on, just hand in there and we might just win this._ Seedot got to its feet and unleashed a ball of shining energy at Nincada. The attack hit dead on, sending Nincada flying and creating a large dust cloud covering the battlefield. When the dust cleared, the two Pokémon were both standing, though obviously fatigued. It was apparent that the battle would soon be over.

Ash could see that his options were limited. X-Scissor would take too much time and there wasn't enough sun light for a Solarbeam. "Guess that leaves us with one option, Nincada use Leech Life." Nincada leapt forward with its tiny mouth open. It sunk it's teeth into Seedots forehead and drained its energy, the last bit of energy that Seedot had. Seedot fainted and the match was called in Ash's favor. "Alright, way to go Nincada." Ash ran over to his victorious Pokémon.

Anabel walked over to her Pokémon. _It's okay, don't worry. You did your best that's all that matters. You deserve a nice rest._ Anabel recalled her Pokémon and walked over to Ash. "Well I suppose you deserve congratulation. But don't think that this is how every battle will turn out."

"Yeah, you almost had me. I pulled that last one out of my hat. I really enjoyed it Anabel, we should do it again sometime, you're really good. You were able to use simplistic moves and make them very potent."

Anabel blushed slightly from the compliment she received. But Brock was in a hurry so he hurried them along out of the caves saying that they could continue their conversation while they walked. The group left the caves and came to a sign which pointed them in the direction of Cerulean City. There was also some writing on the corner of the sign, but it was so worn that no one could read it, though Ash remembered exactly what it said. But there was no time for reminiscing, they had to keep moving.

The group had been walking for about an hour and they were approaching Cerulean fast. It was only two o'clock when they entered the city limits. The group knew the first thing they had to do: go to the Pokémon Center which was just inside the city and easy to spot. They entered the Center and gave their Pokémon to the Nurse Joy. But on the way to the cafeteria for some late lunch, something unexpected happened. "Hey, is that you Ash." The voice came from the door and the three of them turned to see who was calling for Ash. To everyone's surprise, a girl of about twelve was running up to the group. Ash and Brock immediately recognized the Sinnoh native as the Pokémon coordinator Dawn.

"Uh, hey Dawn, I'm surprised to see you here," was Ash's short response to the girl.

"Same here, I didn't think I'd ever see you again Ash, but here you are. And you too Brock," Dawn said looking at her two good friends, till her eyes caught sight of Anabel. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced yet. My name is Dawn."

"Anabel, it's nice to meet you Dawn." But the surprise meetings weren't over there, as the Pokémon Center door opened again to reveal two more girls. One was around thirteen with short red hair; she wore an orange vest over a red shirt, and a pair of jeans. The other was a bit older with medium length brown hair with a green bandana on top. Her outfit was an orange color, as were her shoes, and she was wearing a pair of gloves.

"Dawn don't go running off and leaving us like that," said the redhead.

"I'm sorry Zoey, but look who I found," Dawn said to try and change the subject.

"Well if it isn't Ash and Brock, and an unknown face as well," Zoey said to the group.

"Her name is Anabel," said the brown haired one.

"I'm glad to see that you remember me May."

"Hey Ash," said May, "what are you doing here in Cerulean anyway. You couldn't be here for the contest."

"No, I'm here for a Gym battle, and so is Anabel."

"Oh really," Dawn said excitedly. "Can we come and watch the match!"

"Well I'm fine with it," said Anabel.

"Same here, hey it'll be just like old times."

"Well that may be a bit difficult," came a voice from behind the group. It was Nurse Joy, who continued with, "I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation. But you may not be able to battle the Gym Leader today."

"What" cried Ash and Anabel in unison.

"I'm sorry, but a Pokémon attacked the city earlier today. It ate almost everything in the park and it went through the market eating most of the stands," at this, Ash began to tense a bit. "But when it went to the gym, it ate through the pool and drained it. After that it left towards the north. As the Gym Leader, Misty went after the Pokémon and in so doing, had to close the Gym till she returns. I am very sorry," and with that Nurse Joy walked back to the counter.

Dawn and Brock were both staring at a very tense Ash. "Ash you know who did all this, don't you," Dawn said to Ash.

"Hehe, yeah I know. I had better go and get him before he eats anything else," Ash said sheepishly.

"Don't worry Ash, we'll get him back," Brock said reassuring his friend.

"No Brock, we won't. It will take too long if we all went. I had better do this alone," Ash said. "You guys get rooms here and I promise to be back tomorrow." And with that Ash went to the counter and got his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and headed out the door as fast as possible.

"Hmph, I don't see what that was all about, we could have helped him," complained Dawn.

"Yeah, he is always acting before thinking. But now he's off to who knows where all alone," said May with a slight anger in her voice.

"I personally commemorate Ash for this. It shows he is growing up, and that he can take responsibility for himself," countered Brock.

"I agree with you Brock," said Anabel, and Zoey also nodded in agreement.

"Well I guess we had better get some rooms. No point standing out here," said Brock.

The group headed over to the counter and got two rooms, one for Brock and one for the girls. But it wasn't time for sleep yet, first it was time for dinner. The group headed into the cafeteria and ordered some dinner. During their dinner there was little conversation going on and little excitement. Until Brock had a sudden need to find a restroom and fast. During his absence, Dawn decided to ask the question that was on all of their minds. "So Anabel how is it that you started traveling with Ash and Brock?"

"Well, we were both going the same way, so I thought why not, it might be fun," Anabel said, try hard to hide the real reason she was with them. The three other girls all looked at each other grinning slightly. They all looked like they wanted to say something, but they couldn't as Brock had made his way back, which made Anabel happy that the others would stop trying to ask questions as long as Brock was there. But she still had to make it through then night. They all finished their dinners and headed off to their respective rooms.

In the mean time, Ash had been running for a few hours now and had just come upon a beach. Thinking he had hit a dead end, he turned to run back into the forest he had emerged from, only for a bright red light to catch his eye. The light was coming from on top of a cliff and it shot into the sky. "Well that looks familiar," Ash said as he began to run towards the cliff. He ran as fast as he could, with Pikachu running right beside him. The two of them were approaching fast and soon they could see several silhouettes and a half eaten lighthouse. What could have possibly gone on here?

To Be Continued

**Finally, new chapter. Huzzah! I like how this chapter ended but the start was a bit shaky.**

**I guess I had better explain why it took so long for this chapter to come out. You see my computer was abducted by some Clefairy to use in their starship. I had to risk life and limb just to get it back. (really though, my computer has basically been out of commission for the past month and I have basically been spending all my free time trying to revive it.)**

**Now I would like to say that I will have another chapter out by next weekend but I don't think I will be able to. This week is finals and I'll be swamped. So the next chapter should be out sometime between 7 to 10 days, promise. **

**In the next chapter you can expect: fun time with the girls (not like that), Ash's confrontation of you know who, a conversation with the lighthouse keeper, and a walk with Misty. (Fun fact: this chapter originally took place entirely in mount moon, but I scraped the idea, which is why the mount moon scene may seem a bit rushed. Don't worry, we will see Seymour later…hehehe).**

**I know it has been a while but I hope you can all still write some reviews, I would certainly appreciate it. To those that have stuck by me, to those who have just arrived, I thank you for reading, and I would love to hear from you.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: …yeah**

Chapter 10: Awkward

Ash was about twenty feet away when the about thirty small red lights bombarded the ground, causing a small earthquake and a large dust cloud to form. Ash had to put his arm up to block all the dust that was flying. When it was safe to look again, he saw that one of the silhouettes was lying on the ground, apparently unconscious. Ash made his way to the other person and upon reaching them, Ash recognized the face of Bill. "Bill, what happened here," Ash asked Bill.

"What, who's there," Bill asked as he looked around the area. His eyes eventually found Ash's location and immediately remembered him. "Ash, is that you. I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"

"I don't think this is the time for formalities."

"Oh, right. Now to answer your previous question, that monstrosity over there attack me and ate my lighthouse," said Bill as he pointed to a small dark blue shark-like creature. "I tried to stop him, but he was just too strong. My Pokémon was just too easily beaten. Maybe if I traveled more, I would be able to make it stronger. But alas I am stuck here."

"Hey Bill, who else was here," said Ash, ignoring Bill's emotional moment.

"Who else? Oh right, Misty had come here to stop that creature. Now where did she," Bill was searching the Cliffside for signs of life and eventually laid his eyes upon the felled Gym Leader, "oh my, Ash over there, she seems to have passed out," Bill pointed to the spot where Misty was lying.

"Alright Bill, I'll take care of this guy, you get Misty in the lighthouse," Ash said to Bill, who in return nodded and ran over to Misty. This action caught the eye of the blue beast, who charged at Bill full speed, jaws at the ready. "Not so fast, Pikachu use Quick Attack and cut him off." In a flash, Pikachu charged in between Bill and the beast. "Bill, take her inside, quick," Ash yelled. Bill nodded again, picked Misty up, and ran inside the lighthouse for however much cover it could give in its current state.

"Well at least we're alone now," Ash said to himself. Turning to the small blue creature, he said, "Alright Gible, that's enough. You need to stop this and come back with me. I'm sure we can sort this all out," Ash reasoned with his runaway Pokémon. Gible just called out its name and charged at Pikachu, fist back and ready for a Rock Smash. "Pikachu, dodge," Pikachu jumped out of the way just in time, and Gible smashed the ground right where Pikachu was standing. Ash just sighed, "I guess if you won't listen to reason, then I'll just have to take you back by force. You ready Pikachu," Ash received a nod from Pikachu and the battle was on.

_Alright, Gible is Dragon and Ground type, which means that Pikachu is limited to only Quick Attack and Iron Tail. Man this would be so much simpler if I had Gible's pokéball with me._ "Alright Pikachu, let's get this started with Quick Attack."

And with that Pikachu was off, running straight for Gible. Gible prepared a Rock Smash to counter Pikachu's attack, but Pikachu was too quick for him. Right when Gible swung his fist, Pikachu jumped to the right and rammed right into the Land Shark Pokémon. Gible was a bit angry at this and unleashed a powerful Dragon Pulse toward Pikachu. "Dodge and then use Quick Attack again." And then the cycle repeated, with Pikachu running full speed toward Gible, dodging his attack and landing Quick Attack.

At this, Gible was quite furious. It stomped the ground in fury and shouted its name a number of times. _Good, everything is going just as planned. And if my calculations are correct, Gible will attempt Draco Meteor in three, two, one. _And just like clockwork, Gible through his head back and began to charge his most devastating attack. "Perfect, now Pikachu, let's finish this with Iron Tail." Pikachu leapt into the air and began to charge his tail with as much energy as possible.

Gible was just about to launch his attack, when Pikachu's tail smashed into his face. Gible remained standing there, mouth wide open, though his attack did fade away. For about thirty seconds, Gible just stood there and Ash was beginning to wonder if he had really finished it, but sure enough, eventually Gible fell backwards defeated, but his body shape had yet to change. Ash sighed with relief that whole escapade was over with. He congratulated Pikachu on a job well done, and walked over to Gible.

After poking him a few times, Ash surmised that Gible would be out for a while, so he picked him up and carried him into the lighthouse. Once inside, Ash laid Gible down near the door and looked around for Bill. "Ash over here," the voice of Bill came from the right. Ash looked over in that direction to find a small alcove in the wall. Ash walked over to the alcove and looked around. It didn't have much, just a bed, a small fridge and a computer. Misty was lying in the bed.

"I don't remember this place the last time I was here."

"It was added just recently, I had it built for wayward travelers to get a nights rest. Anyway, were you able to subdue the beast?"

"Just look over there," Ash said point by the door.

"Well that's good, though I have no idea why you brought it inside."

"Heh, well you see, the beast is actually my Gible, a Pokémon I caught in the Sinnoh Region."

"Call him what you like, as long as he doesn't eat anymore of my lighthouse."

"Right, say Bill think I could borrow your phone, I need to contact Professor Oak."

"Sure thing, the phone is in the same place as last time."

Ash walked over to the phone and called up the professor. After a few rings, the professor answered his phone."Hello, Ash is that you, do you have any news on Gible?"

"Why yes professor I certainly do. I found him over by Bill's lighthouse."

"Oh good, I was getting worried that we wouldn't be able to find him. Well I'm glad you found him and I guess you would like his pokéball."

"Yep, and if you don't mind professor, I would like to keep Gible with me, just so this kind of thing doesn't happen again."

"Of course not, what you want to do with your Pokémon is completely up to you. Now if you could give me a moment and I will send the pokéball post haste. Good-bye."

"Thanks professor, and Goodbye," Ash hung up the phone and waited for the teleporter, located next to the phone, to materialize Gible's pokéball. It appeared in a matter of moments and Ash picked it up, turned around, and shot the small red laser at his Gible. After Gible had been returned Ash put the pokéball on his belt and walked back to alcove to see that Misty was beginning to wake up.

"W-Where am I, w-what happened," groaned Misty in a dazed stupor.

"Relax Misty, don't worry, just rest and everything will be okay, now what was the last thing that you remember," Bill asked.

"Well, the last I can remember is a bunch of bright red light crashing into the ground all around me," explained Misty. "Next thing I know, I'm waking up here."

"Good, then there is no need to worry," Bill said. "If you still remember everything that means that you haven't suffered any injury. I was worried you may have been struck on the head, but it seems you just fainted from shock is all. Now, do you feel good enough to stand up?"

"I think so," Misty said. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She was a bit unstable at first, but she managed to get her balance rather quickly. "Alright, now I can head home. I'm sure to have some challenges waiting for me back there."

"Well, I know of at least two," said Ash, who at this point Misty had not noticed standing against the wall.

"Who said—Ash! Is that you Ash," exclaimed Misty. It had been a while since she had seen her close friend. "Why are you here Ash?"

Bill decided to answer that question. "He was here to get that thing back—what did you call it, a Gible, was it—turns out it belonged to him and he was just coming to get it back."

"Oh so that thing belongs to you, huh," said Misty. "Do you know what that thing did to my Gym?"

"Yes," Ash said sheepishly. "I really am sorry, but you really can't blame him. He was lost and afraid. He was acting on his instinct to survive."

"Fine, we'll settle this when we get back to Cerulean."

"Are you sure you want to go back tonight," Bill said. "There might be dangers out there."

"Don't worry Bill; we can handle anything thrown at us, right Misty."

"Right," Misty exclaimed confidently.

"Well if you insist," Bill said. "Say Ash, do you think I could have a word with you?"

"Uh, sure Bill," Ash said. The two of them walked out of the alcove and back to the very back of the lighthouse. "Okay Bill, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well Ash, as I said before, the Pokémon I have here is not getting much experience and I would like for it to grow more. But I am not supposed to leave the lighthouse. So Ash if you could do me a favor I would be most grateful. Please, if you could take my Pokémon and train it to be stronger. It needs to see the world to grow stronger."

Ash was a bit taken aback by this sudden request. "Uh, well I guess I could."

"Wonderful Ash, simply wonderful," Bill exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokéball. "Here you go Ash, but please wait till Nurse Joy heals it up, it went through a lot today and I would like it to get the rest it needs. If you have any trouble getting it to trust you, just contact me and I will try and convince it."

"Sure thing Bill," said Ash. Ash studied the pokéball for a little while.

"Hey Ash, you ready to go yet," Misty said. Ash turned to see an impatient Misty standing by the door.

"Yep," said Ash. "Thanks Bill. See you around."

"Take care my friend." Ash ran over to Misty and the two of them walked out the door.

* * *

The Pokémon Center in Cerulean had finally quieted down. Everyone either left or got a room for the night. Brock, Anabel, and everyone else were no exception. Brock was in his own room, sleeping soundly. But in the girl's room, it would be a while till everyone was asleep. The room had two bunk beds. Dawn took the top bunk to the left and Zoey took the bottom bunk to the left. May took the top bunk to the right, leaving Anabel with the bottom bunk on the right. The room had one bathroom, which they took turns using to change into their nightwear.

When Anabel took her turn in the bathroom, May took this opportunity to talk with the others. "Alright girls, what do you think the reason Anabel is really traveling with Ash."

Dawn was the first to speak up. "Isn't it obvious? The same reason you and I traveled with him for as long as we did."

"Then I say we do a little interrogation. I want to confirm this."

"Yay, this is going to be fun," exclaimed Dawn.

"You're both crazy, you know that right," Zoey spoke up.

"Don't try to hide the truth. We know you feel the same as both of us," May said.

"Fine, Fine, but don't drag me down with you."

Then the bathroom door opened to reveal Anabel. She was wearing a simple nightgown. It was light purple with long sleeves and the bottom hem went to her ankles. _And let the games begin,_ were the thoughts of both Dawn and May.

May was the first to strike up the conversation. "So Anabel, what was the reason you were traveling with Ash and Brock, I can't quite remember."

"Uh, well you know, I just thought would be fun that's all," Anabel said, again not trying to panic at the thought of being found out.

"Are you sure that's the reason," Dawn said. "I mean, is there maybe some other reason your traveling with them, Ash in particular."

"W-What do you mean, of course there's no other reason." Anabel was starting to get worried. The questions were so specific. Had she been found out so easily?

"Give it up Anabel," said May. "The reason is as clear as the nose on your face. You're only following Ash because you have a crush on him."

"W-What, that's ridiculous," said Anabel, frantically trying to evade the obvious.

"Don't worry about it Anabel," Dawn said. "You're among friends here."

"What does that mean," asked Anabel.

"Well you see, all of us have had our fair share with Ash, and let me tell you, he has this way of making every girl he meets fall for him. And Anabel, we three are no exception," explained May.

"Really, you mean it," Anabel said with hope in her voice.

"Yep, the only problem is that Ash is as oblivious as dying corn," May said angrily. After she calmed down, she said, "Now Anabel, why don't you just admit it: you have a crush on wonder boy, Ash Ketchum."

"Well maybe, but just a little," said Anabel bashfully.

"Now was that so hard," said Dawn.

"No, not really; but what I don't understand is if you all like him why don't you keep traveling with him."

"Well Anabel, it's like this. Sometimes you just have to know when someone isn't interested. For all of us, Ash showed no more than close friendship."

At this point Zoey decided to speak up. "He may be kind and chivalrous, but when I comes to romance, the boy fails."

"So even you fell for him Zoey," asked Anabel.

"Well I wouldn't say fell for. He's nice but I don't think anything more of him."

"Oh really," said Dawn. "Then did you blush when you saw him in the Pokémon Center. Yeah I saw that."

"Oh please, you ran to him the second you saw him."

"Girls, please, I think it's time to get some sleep," reasoned May.

"I guess you're right," said Dawn. Both Dawn and Zoey climbed into their respective beds and curled up to go to sleep. But before Anabel could get into her bed, May said one last thing to her.

"I think you have a good chance Anabel. You only have one real opponent left, in more ways than one," May said as she giggled. Anabel was confused at what May could mean but decided to wait until later to try and figure it out. Right now it was time for bed.

* * *

Ash and Misty had been walking for a while, both in silence. Ash kept his eyes focused on the road ahead, while Misty casually glanced toward Ash. They eventually came to a long bridge, the final stretch to Cerulean. Misty decided to try and start a conversation. "So Ash, what brought you back to Cerulean, any particular reason," she said with a sense of hopefulness in her voice.

"Yep, I came to challenge your Gym again. And so did a traveling companion of mine."

"Oh, well the Gym will be under repairs tomorrow, as we have a hole to patch up and we have to refill the pool. So who is this companion anyway?"

"Oh, well do you know about the Kanto Battle Frontier? Well it's none other than Anabel, the Salon Maiden."

"Really and how did it come to her accompanying you?"

"Well, I don't know really. I just asked and she said yes."

Misty could already guess the reason she said yes, and she wasn't happy about it. In her heart of hearts she believed that Ash should be hers. She would show this Salon Maiden what's what when she battled her in the next few days. "Hey Misty are you coming," Ash said. Misty had inadvertently stopped walking during her malevolent thoughts. "Come on, I can see the city lights from here."

"Coming," said Misty. The two of them walked onward. When they got to the end of the bridge the sun was starting to rise over the peaks of Mount Moon. Ash walked Misty back to the Gym and then headed to the Pokémon Center to meet with his friends and get some breakfast. What did the next few days hold in store for our little group? Stay tuned to find out.

To Be Continued

**Merry Christmas everybody, have some hot chocolate and sit down to chapter 10.**

**So this chapter was a bit more delayed than I thought but not too bad (shame on me for think vacation meant free time). There really isn't much to say about this chapter in my opinion. I think it's a good one (better than chapter nine at least).**

**Oh and Ash got two more Pokémon, one you know of and one you don't (but you can probably guess). This brings Ash's total to five and Anabel's to three. The Gym match will be in chapter twelve. Chapter eleven is going to be a day in the city. Well I'm looking forward to it at least.**

**So anyway, thanks for reading. Please review this story, I love to hear what you have to say, be it good, bad, or just plain ugly (heheheh puns) I always read every review.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**The Twitch E. One**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I'm not Dead…yay!**

Chapter 11: Filler up

Ash crept into the Pokémon Center. It was too early for anyone to be awake yet, so Ash went down the hall with the rooms for trainers to stay in for the night. There were only four rooms, but Ash had no idea with one to go in. Upon realizing this, Ash walked into the lobby to look at the clock. _4:30. It's still too early for anyone to be up. I know they must have gotten a room, but which one._ As Ash debated this, he leaned against the counter of the Pokémon Center. Then, Ash had an idea. There had to be a sign in sheet somewhere right?

Ash looked around cautiously before jumping over the counter. Once on the other side, Ash began looking through the shelves under the counter. _Let's see, a few pokéballs, some spare aprons, some Tylenol bottles. Ah ha, a clip-board._ Ash took out the clip-board and read the title. _'Room Occupation'; perfect. Now let's see, Brock, rooms #3 and #4. Well that narrows in down, but I still don't know which one is the one Brock's staying in._ Ash went back into the hallway and stood between rooms #3 and #4.

Ash walked up to room #3, and placed his ear against the door. He stood there for a while and, upon hearing nothing, repeated the process with #4. As he began to listen, he heard the faint sound of mumbling. Listening harder, Ash wasn't able to deduce much, except that the voice was deep. Deciding to take the chance, Ash opened the door and peeked inside. To his relief, he saw Brock sound asleep on the lower bunk of one of the beds.

Ash sighed quietly, and sat on the bed opposite to Brock. Pikachu rolled off of Ash's shoulder and flopped down on the pillow, trying to get as much rest as it could. Ash just smiled and scratched Pikachu's head. Then Ash heard the mumbling sound again. He turned to see Brock hugging his pillow affectionately. "…zzz…Why hello Nurse Joy…zzz…fancy meeting you here." Ash chuckled under his breath. Even in his sleep, Brock only thought of girls. "…zzz…so how about you and I…zzz…get together later for a nice dinner…zzz…Wait, Officer Jenny, what are you doing. I didn't mean it…zzz…no I'm sorry, don't lock me in jail." Ash had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Even in his sleep, Brock only thought of girls, but the end result doesn't change either. Ash calmed down and leaned against the wall behind the bed. He pulled his hat over his eyes and tried to get as much rest as possible.

* * *

A few hours past by and people were beginning to stir. In room #3, a certain psychic feline was starting to wake. Espeon was lying beside Anabel as they both slept soundly. As Espeon was waking up, his stomach began to growl slightly. Not one to wait to be fed, Espeon jumped to the floor. Using his psychic abilities, he abruptly pulled Anabel off of her bed. With a thud, Anabel landed flat on the floor. Anabel sat up slowly, eyes still half closed. Espeon had to act quickly, so he jumped into Anabel's arms, knocking her over once again, and began to lick her face lightly.

Anabel was still half asleep but she got the picture. If she wanted sleep, Espeon had to eat. She reached over to her bag, which was sitting by the bed, and pulled out a Sitrus Berry. She set the Berry down next to Espeon, who began to happily eat it. _You know, you could have gotten that yourself," _Anabel stated groggily.

'Yes, but what fun would that be,' retorted Espeon. Anabel just shook her head and started to get back into her bed. Unfortunately, she wouldn't make it.

"GOOD MORNING," rang throughout the room, which caused Anabel to stand abruptly, knocking her head on the bunk above her. Anabel sat on the floor of the room clutching her head, but now fully awake. Then the "GOOD MORNING" sounded again, and Anabel located the source as coming from Dawn's bunk. There was some motion in the bed as Dawn sat up. Anabel saw her hit a button on her watch then begin to yawn and stretch.

"Ah, what a good night's sleep," Dawn said to herself. Dawn glanced at the floor only to see Anabel sitting there with her hands on her head staring at her. "Oh, Anabel I didn't see you there. Wow, you must get up early a lot to have beaten me awake."

"She's right, most people sleep till a decent hour," came an irritated voice from the bottom bunk under Dawn. Zoey began to sit up rubbing her eyes. "Seriously Dawn, do you have to get up at six o'clock every morning."

"Hey, if you sleep all day, then you'll miss out on all the fun stuff in life."

"You two do this every morning. Can't you just both compromise," the last person in the room, May, had decided to step into the argument. "Zoey, you want to sleep in and Dawn, you want to get up early. So why don't you just get up at like seven thirty or eight."

"But if I sleep too late I might miss something important," Dawn retorted.

"Dawn, so you slept through one contest. It's not the end of the world," May reasoned. Dawn hung her head, having been reminded of the terrible feeling she had experienced.

"All right, seven thirty wouldn't be so bad I guess, what do you say Zoey," Dawn asked. Zoey nodded her head in compliance.

Anabel had just been sitting there listening to the conversation, after the throbbing in her head died down at least. _Wow, there sure is a lot of drama with this crowd._

'Tell me about it.'

_Espeon, what have I told you about reading my thoughts whenever you want._

'Sorry.' Anabel just chuckled lightly and began scratching the purple cat's head.

Dawn looked down at Anabel, "So Anabel, what were you doing up so early anyway."

"Hmm, oh well, you see Espeon here wanted some early breakfast, so he decided to wake me up for a meal."

"Makes sense," said Zoey. "That's part of the reason why I don't let my Pokémon sleep with me."

"Well while you guys chit-chat, I'm going to get into the bathroom before Dawn," said May laughing slightly as she jumped from the top bunk and ran into the bathroom. Anabel and Zoey laughed as Dawn sat there pouting. It took awhile for all the girls to get through the bathroom, well it took Dawn awhile anyway, and once they were already to go they walked out of the room just as the clock read eight o'clock.

As the girls made their way into the lobby, they were met with a peasant sight. They saw Ash and Brock just sitting down to breakfast in the cafeteria. They all smiled and headed in too grab some breakfast of their own and join Ash and Brock. The conversation was mostly about Ash's excursion the previous night, which he gladly filled them in to the important details. After they had all finish, they began to discuss the plans for the day. Ash stated his plans first. "I was planning to spend today training for the gym battle tomorrow."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," said Anabel. But before she could ask to join him, she got interrupted by May.

"Well I was planning to spend the day shopping in town," May said. "I was hoping that Dawn, Zoey, and Anabel would join me." As she said each girls name she looked from one girl to the next. Dawn, always one to go shopping, quickly agreed. Zoey, not really much for shopping, decided to go anyway, as she liked to spend time with her friends. Anabel, not one for shopping either, was a bit hesitant about going. She would have rather gone with Ash to train, but in the end, and after much coaxing, she agreed.

"Well I have some supplies I'll need to pick up. So that covers the schedule for the morning, so how about we meet back here for lunch," suggested Brock.

Everyone nodded in agreement. But then Zoey spoke up to say, "But after lunch, I'm going to do some training for that contest." As she said this she eyed Dawn expectantly.

Dawn just sighed and said, "Yeah, I get it. I guess I'll be training too then." After that May also decided to join in the training. Anabel didn't have to worry about getting roped into this one, so she sighed in relief.

Ash spoke up once again, "And I'll be training again."

"I don't think so Ash," said Brock firmly. Everyone was staring at Brock, wondering why Brock wouldn't let Ash train. "We have something to cover. I promised to train you how to live on your own, and I'm going to keep that promise. This afternoon you'll be spending it learning the basics of making a simple meal." Ash was a bit taken aback by the sudden demand, but Ash agreed none the less, saying it would be fun.

That just left Anabel. She hadn't planned on anything to do on her own, but she wasn't too worried. An idea would come to her eventually.

* * *

Once they had made their way out of the Pokémon Center, they each went on their way. Ash headed south out of the city. Brock and the girls headed into town, but when they got there they went different directions, Brock going towards a general store and the girls towards a large clothing store. Brock entered the store, but it was mostly empty save for the person behind the corner, who was a guy. Without anyone interesting to talk to, Brock spent his morning looking through the store.

Anabel and the others headed into a large clothing store. May and Dawn were excited to go but, Anabel and Zoey, not so much. As they walked through the aisle of the store they eventually went their separate ways, with Dawn and Zoey headed to the younger section of the store with Anabel and May stayed in the older teen's section. Anabel decided to start off a conversation. "So May, why did you want me to come with you guys anyway."

"Well, I thought you might enjoy yourself. That and, judging from your clothes, you probably didn't bring any dresses with you on your journey, did you."

Anabel just stared at May for a moment until she slowly shook her head, signifying that she did not. May just smiled and pulled out a dress from one of the clothes racks. It was a long, purple dress. It was a simple dress with not much frippery, and it was also rather conservative, not revealing much skin. In short, it looked like the perfect dress for Anabel.

"How did—"

"—I know just what to look for. It wasn't that hard. After seeing your outfit, it was clear that your favorite color was purple. And after seeing your nightgown, I could also see that your tastes were more conservative than say Dawn." At this statement, both girls started to laugh.

"Alright," said Anabel, still giggling lightly, "but why would I need a dress anyway."

"Oh, you never know when you might need a dress," answered May did some browsing for herself, they headed to the shoe's department to get some matching shoes for the dress. After ten minutes of back and forth, May gave in and let Anabel pick out a pair of flats, as opposed to the heels she wanted her to get.

The two headed to the front of the store to get in the check-out line, just as Dawn and Zoey were headed there as well. Dawn was carrying one small bag, while Zoey was loaded like a pack mule. The sight certainly was amusing. "Wow, Zoey, I didn't know you were such a shop-a-holic," May said giggling.

Zoey just glared at her. She knew May knew that none of the purchases were hers. The four girls all got in line for the check-out and waited as Dawn paid for her massive amount of items. Once they were done they all headed back toward the Pokémon Center as it was quickly approaching eleven thirty.

* * *

Meanwhile, south of Cerulean…

Ash found a large clearing for his training to take place. He took three of his pokéballs in hand and released his Pokémon. Out came Primeape, Nincada, and Gible, with Pikachu jumping off of his shoulder to join the lineup. "Alright guys, it's time for some training. We have a Gym battle tomorrow and I want us to be fully prepared for this match. Alright, Gible and Pikachu, I want you two to train together. Gible, you need to work on hitting a faster opponent, and Pikachu, you need to handle fighting Ground-types a bit better."

Gible and Pikachu nodded and headed off to begin training. "Alright, now, Primeape. I want you to help train Nincada. Work on boosting his Attack power, he'll need it for the Gym battle." Primeape nodded and turned to Nincada.

"_All right, small fry. It's time for me to pump you up."_ Primeape looked at Nincada expectantly, but Nincada just stood there, staring blankly. "_Hey, weren't you listening. Time to get to work._ Primeape was once again ignored. This caused Primeape to get angry. Very angry. Primeape began to scream loudly at the smaller Pokémon. This finally got through to the Bug/Ground-Type Pokémon, who began to run in fear as Primeape began to charge, and the two of them ran off into the distance until they were out of sight.

"Not quite what I expected but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. Now that only leaves one thing." Ash took out the fifth and final pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air. It released a small, brown, furry creature. It yawned and began to take in its surroundings. It looked around until its eyes eventually came toward Ash. It stared at Ash for a few moments until it gave off a happy cry, and ran towards him. "Wow, an Eevee," said Ash, "those are rare. I wonder why Bill would just give me one." Ash decided not to think about it too long and reached down to stroke the small creature.

Ash sat himself against a tree, still tired from his excursion earlier. Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Eevee. Ash looked at the move list for the small Pokémon. _"Tail Whip, Helping Hand, Sand-Attack, and Growl…no wonder bill couldn't fight Gible. This thing has no offensive attacks. Well I guess training it will have to wait till later."_ The Eevee looked at Ash curiously, wondering what he was doing, before it decided to leap at Ash, curl up, and lay down on Ash's lap.

Ash was a bit surprised. Normally, a Pokémon that belonged to someone else, who finds itself in a weird location with a complete stranger, wouldn't just immediately be comfortable with said stranger. But that's not why Ash was surprised. Ash was surprised by the sight off in the distance. Pikachu was running around spastically with Gible attached to his tail. Running toward the madness taking place there, was Nincada with a still enraged Primeape on his tail. Nincada and Pikachu collided, which caused Gible to fly off of Pikachu's tail toward Primeape, causing him to trip and land on Nincada and Pikachu. By this point, Ash was laughing pretty hard at the sight before him. _"Well I guess that's enough training for now," _Ash thought to himself, still lightly chuckling to himself. He stroked Eevee a few times before recalling it back into its pokéball. Ash made his way over to the pile that was his Pokémon, and recalled three of them as Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder slowly. Ash began to head back north toward Cerulean.

It took a while for Ash to make it back up to Cerulean. By the time he got there, it was already twelve o'clock. He made his way over to the Pokémon Center to see that all of his friends were already there. He headed in, got some food, and joined his friends for lunch.

* * *

Bill was tired. He had spent the entire morning patching the holes in his lighthouse. He had to get the job the done quickly just in case of inclement weather. He had called for a repair company in Cerulean to come fix it but they could only schedule him a week from now. He had made good progress and only one hole was left. He turned to grab more wood from the pile he had brought with him up on the roof, but he had apparently used the last piece already. "Just great, now I'll have to go get more from the ground," Bill grumbled some more as he made his way to where the ladder was. Or at least where the ladder should have been. When he got there, he saw that the ladder had fallen to the ground below and that he was now stuck on his roof with no way to get off. "Now what am I going to do."

"You could ask for help," came a voice from below. Bill peered over the edge of the roof to see who was talking.

"Oh, it's you," said Bill to the owner of the voice. It was none other than the cloaked man himself. The cloaked man began to lift the ladder off of the ground and put it against the roof. Bill made his way down the ladder to the ground. "So," Bill said as he reached to the ground, "may I ask why you're here again."

"What, I can't visit," said the cloaked man. Bill just gave him a skeptical look. "Alright fine, I just wanted to see if you gave him the Pokémon I told you to give him."

"I told you I would. If you thought I wouldn't then why would you trust me in the first place?"

"I suppose you make a decent point. Can I expect you help in the future?"

"Well, I don't know. This little event has caused me quite the property damage."

"I told you I would compensate for any damages."

"Yeah but I still don't know if I trust you all that much."

"I'll convince the league to allow you to leave this lighthouse."

"You have a deal."

"Good, the first meeting will be in a week, at the Viridian Gym. I still have one person to convince to join."

"Alright, I'll see you there," Bill said. He then said good-bye to his guest and walked around the corner to grab more wood for his patch job on the roof. The cloaked man just chuckled lightly and began walking away from the lighthouse, his next destination being Cerulean.

* * *

Speaking of Cerulean, Ash and friends had finished their lunches and had split up for the afternoon, planning to meet again for dinner, which would be cooked by Ash. Dawn, May, and Zoey headed to the back of the Pokémon Center to begin preparation for the upcoming contest, and Brock had convinced Nurse Joy into letting him borrow the center's kitchen. That just left Anabel to herself. She decided she would take a walk in the nearby park.

It didn't take long for Anabel to make it to the park. Once there, she made her way over to a large tree near the edge of a hill overlooking a meadow. She released Espeon as she knew he would enjoy the idea of lazing around in the shade. The two of them sat in the shade for a while just staring at the meadow. Nothing interesting was happening and that was just fine for them. Of course, the calming atmosphere would end soon. Out of the woods on the other side of the meadow came a boy. He appeared to be about seventeen, but his hair was larger than his head. At least that was what Anabel thought to herself. She wasn't really bothered by the appearance of another person, until a familiar figure also stepped out of the woods. It was the man in the cloak she ran into in Celadon.

They were talking to each other in the middle of the field. Anabel was too far away to hear much of what they were saying. The two of them kept walking closer until they were just within earshot. "So, tell me Gary, will you help me," Anabel heard the cloaked man say. The boy, who was apparently named Gary, just stood there for a minute. He eventually reached out his hand, which the cloaked man shook. "Good, the first meeting is in a week, at the Viridian Gym. I hope to see you there." Gary just shook his head and pulled out a pokéball releasing a Pidgeot. He jumped on the bird Pokémon's back and took off.

The cloaked man just stared into the distance as he flew off, shaking his head. He then turned to where Anabel was sitting. He stared at her for a moment before turning around and heading back into the woods. _I wonder what all that was about._

'If it doesn't concern us then I don't care.'

_I suppose your right. No need to worry about what doesn't involve us._ Anabel and Espeon continued to sit in the shade for a good while until Anabel decided it was time to leave. She recalled Espeon and headed back to the Pokémon Center. When she got inside she could see her friends surrounding a table with a pot on it. She walked over to them to see what they were doing. "So why is everyone staring at a pot of soup."

"It's not just any pot of soup," said Brock, "it was made by Ash. And if I say so myself I think it turned out…decent."

"Wow, thanks for the words of encouragement, Brock," Ash said sarcastically. Everyone scooped up a bowl and sat at a table to eat the soup. All of Ash's friends complimented him on how the soup turned out. Ash just smiled, and thanked them for the compliments. "So May, will there be any one interesting entering the contest."

"Hmm, well I know Drew won't be there. And I don't think that Kenny kid Dawn was talking about will be there either."

"What about Harley or Soledad."

"Nope, they're both in Sinnoh so they won't be around either."

"Huh, so no rivals for you guys in this contest, excluding yourselves that is."

"Yeah, but it'll still be kind of hectic with all three of us going at it," Dawn chipped in. "So Ash, have you run into anyone like Paul around here yet?"

"No, I haven't met anyone like that. Although Anabel is kind of a rival, I haven't run into anyone that's outright been like Paul, or Gary for that matter," said Ash as he thought about the old days when he would run into Gary from time to time. Ash just brushed it off and continued to eat his soup. Everyone else also finished their soup, so they all gathered in the Pokémon Center lobby to talk for a while and feed their Pokémon . Brock and Anabel were surprised to see Ash release an Eevee from one of his pokéballs.

"Hey Ash, where did you get an Eevee," Anabel asked.

"Oh, it was a gift from a friend of mine," Ash responded. Satisfied with the answer, Brock and Anabel finished giving out the Pokémon food and sat down with the rest of the group. Eevee looked around at all the Poké mon. It recognized a few of them from earlier, but for the most part none of them seemed familiar, except Anabel's Espeon.

'DADDY,' said Eevee as it charged toward Espeon.

'What was— ' and at that Eevee jumped on top of Espeon. 'Hey, what are you doing! Get off of me!'

But Eevee just held on screaming, 'Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy,' over and over again.

'What? No, I am not your father you deranged fur ball now if you would please. GET OFF!' But to no avail. This continued for awhile as everyone was laughing at the scene.

"Wow, that Eevee sure is an energetic little guy, huh?" said Ash.

"Girl," Anabel corrected.

"Huh."

"Your Eevee is not a guy, it's a girl. And a pretty young one at that, seeing as its acting like Espeon is her father."

"Interesting," thought Ash. Everyone went on talking for a while, after recalling all the Pokémon. Nothing of any note came up in the conversation, with the evening wrapping up quite nicely.

Everyone headed to the back hallway where the rooms were, and went into their respective rooms. Before they went in Ash asked, "So Anabel, do you think you're ready for the next Gym Battle?"

"I think I can manage," responded Anabel with a smile. Ash nodded and then headed into his room. Anabel entered into her room to see Zoey in her bed covering her head with her pillow as Dawn was pounding on the door to the bathroom which May was apparently already in. Anabel just giggled to herself as she sat down on her bed, thinking about the battle the next day. How hard could it be?

To be continued…

* * *

**Hey look at that. I finally stopped procrastinating and decided to write another chapter. **

**I personally didn't think it was that good but what do I know anyway. And about the whole, taking FOREVER to with this one…I just had some things in life that were keeping me from writing. Couple that with my horrible computer (as if just to demonstrate this, during the final editing of this chapter, my computer overheated and shut down, forcing me to re-edit it over again) and you get massive amounts of delay. I won't promise regular updates, but I will try to get back to writing more frequently. What finally got me to write this chapter were a few reviews I got telling me to come back. I felt touched. I thank all of you for that, and I hope you will review this chapter as well.**

**So in this chapter…not much happened till near the end. We see the cloaked man has convinced Bill and Gary to join him. What purpose could he have for wanting their help anyway? I know, but you'll have to wait to find out (not too long hopefully…). We also see Ash with an Eevee. A rather childish Eevee. I wonder if that will become important.**

**I want to propose a few questions for those of you who review. I can't decide if I want to include the contest or not. If you want me to write that in I can I guess, but I don't find contests all that interesting. The other question was actually brought up in the chapter, do you want there to be an actual rival or just Ash vs. Anabel for the most part. Personally I think the idea of a rival is good if you pick the right one. I'll tell you now that the rival character I have in mind isn't actually in the anime (Pokémon Adventures, yes, anime, no, if that hints to anything). But again, I would like you, the readers to choose whether or not to do that.**

**I think I covered everything I wanted to so without further ado, I would like to ask all of you who read to please review, as it is much appreciated. I would love for you to tell me how I did on this chapter (even though I don't like it, feel free to be controversial). **

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: [Insert bad attempt at humor here]**

Chapter 12: Wilting Waterflower

It was dark. Not the same kind of dark that you see in the middle of the night. No, this dark covered the entire realm of vision, like an endless void of darkness. Anabel looked around. Nothing but shadow surrounded her. She kept looking, eventually seeing someone off in the distance. She began to run towards this person. But as she got closer it seemed that they were getting farther and farther away. No matter how fast she ran, the person was always too far to reach. Eventually the figure faded into the distance and Anabel fell with her knees to the ground, breathing hard. She felt someone begin to grip her shoulder. Turning around, and falling all the way down in the process, she saw the cloaked man standing over her. She tried to get up and run, but her body was frozen and stiff. Then the cloak fell to the ground, as if no one was in it to begin with. Anabel began to approach the empty cloak, but as she got near to it, the ground began to shake and crack. Soon Anabel found herself falling into the one of the cracks. As she fell she could see the bottom approaching quickly. She tried to scream but her mouth wouldn't open. All she could do was stare as the bottom came upon her. Closer and closer. Almost there. Anabel braced herself for impact, closed her eyes and…

Anabel shot up from her bed, drenched in a cold sweat and breathing hard. _What, where…oh, just a dream._ Anabel lay back down and glanced over at the clock at the wall. _Seven-fifteen, guess there's no point in trying to go back to sleep,_ thought Anabel, looking towards Dawn's bunk. Anabel sat back up, only to be greeted by an irritated Espeon. _Um, morning Espeon_, Anabel communicated sheepishly.

'Warn me next time you want to sit up abruptly.' And with that Espeon jumped off of the bed, stretched and sat down. Anabel picked up the hint and began to get a berry from her pack. She took out the Sitrus Berry and laid it next to Espeon and he ate it without a word.

Anabel stood up and stretched her arms. She felt a slight chill in the air. She looked around the room and found that the window had been left open from the previous night. Anabel just shook her head as she made her way to the window. She put her hands up to close it, when she glanced out. It was still dark outside, but the street lights were on. Right across the road from the Pokémon Center, standing under a street light, was the cloaked man. He was looking directly toward Anabel, and then he turned and headed south of town, without even looking back.

_That guy is really starting to creep me out,_ Anabel thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted with an all too familiar alarm sounding. Everyone in the room was soon waking up and Anabel decided to keep this all to herself. _No need to worry anyone. I'm sure it's just a coincidence anyway._ By now everyone was fully awake and Dawn had managed to get in the bathroom first. The others got "in line" as it were, and waited for Dawn to use up all the hot water.

In the room across the hall, things were going much smoother. Ash had woken up early for once in his life, and took a shower before Brock had even gotten up. After Brock had his shower, the two of them exited their rooms to wait for the girls. The wait would prove to be a bit longer than they expected, but when the girls came out, the group headed for the cafeteria for breakfast. As they sat their eating, the topic of the Gym Battle came up. "So, what Pokémon are you using for the Gym Battle," May asked both Ash and Anabel.

"I was thinking of using Gible and Pikachu," Ash said in between spoonfuls of cereal and strips of bacon.

"I hadn't really thought about it," was Anabel's response. "I guess I'll go with Seedot and Espeon. Although I haven't really trained all that much, I don't think it will be all that difficult."

"I don't know," said Ash. "Misty can be a difficult opponent. I wouldn't underestimate her." Anabel just shrugged it off and turned back to her breakfast, and everyone else soon followed suit. Everyone finished their breakfast and headed out towards the Gym, with Ash leading the way. He was excited, and he had good reason to be. It had been a while since he had battled his old friend. They arrived at the large Gym doors. Ash opened them and allowed the girls to enter first, followed by Brock and himself. They all walked to the big pool area, which was empty. Normally there would have been a show at this time, but because of the recent repairs, it was canceled.

Ash, Brock and Anabel walked down to the pool deck, while Dawn dragged May and Zoey off somewhere, saying something about having to get ready. When they reached the deck, they were greeted by a voice, but no one was around for the voice to belong to. They all looked down and saw Misty floating in the pool. "I knew you would be here as soon as possible," Misty said happily. The three of them, not expecting to see someone in the pool, jumped back and Brock even fell over. Misty just giggled and said,"Just let me get ready and we'll be able to start." Misty swam over to the ladder hanging on the side of the pool, and climbed out. She grabbed a nearby towel and dried herself off slightly, before heading back into the locker rooms.

After recovering from the shock, Ash said,"It sure is nice to see Misty again, isn't it Brock," to which Brock nodded in agreement. "We'll have to formally introduce you two when she comes out again," Ash told Anabel.

"Sounds good to me," said Anabel. "So Ash, I think you should go first this time, since I went first last time." Ash nodded in agreement and the trio sat down on the chairs surrounding the pool.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dawn had managed to find a bathroom and had drug May and Zoey in with her. The latter were standing by the sinks while the former was looking through her bag. As they were waiting Zoey decided to move the topic to something more current. "So, can you tell me anything about Misty. You're the only one who has met her, and it would be nice to know what kind of person we're dealing with."

May stood there for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She had to choose her words carefully. "Misty is…an interesting character. She is kind and considerate; a good team player. That is, while Ash is around," May explained. "But if you run into her when Ash isn't around, you're probably in trouble."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you see Misty is very…envious. If she thinks you have any interest in Ash, and you meet up with her alone, you may leave in a body cast. I met her once in Johto, and boy oh boy was she angry. She went on and on about how I had better stay away from Ash and if I ever get asked out by him I had better say no. She then told me I had better never tell him we had this conversation. She then walked away. I just hope Anabel is ready for this," May said, finishing her rant.

"Wow, Misty sounds like an odd character," Zoey said.

"She isn't a bad person. She just lets her anger get the better of her," May said, shaking her head.

"Found them," Dawn exclaimed, causing May and Zoey to look over at Dawn. When they saw what she was holding, their jaws practically unhinged themselves.

* * *

Misty came out of the locker room, sporting the outfit she wore the few times she had met up with Ash after leaving for Hoenn. She walked over to where Ash, Anabel, and Brock were sitting. "It's nice to see you Ash, but you didn't come here to reminisce," Misty said. She then turned to the person sitting between Ash and Brock, presuming this was the person Ash had talked about earlier. She smiled and held out her hand, "I guess you're here for a Gym Battle. I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Misty, Gym Leader of Cerulean City."

Anabel stood up and reached to take her hand. "Hi, I'm Anabel. It's nice to meet you." Anabel grasped her hand, but something unexpected happened. Her empathic ability began to read Misty's emotions. Jealousy, anger, and bitterness, these were the emotions coursing through Misty's mind. _But she seems so happy. What purpose would she have to put a façade like this?_ thought Anabel. But she soon came back into reality and looked again at the smiling face of Misty.

"Alright," said Misty. "The rules here a simple; a two-on-two knockout match, and only the challenger will be allowed to switch Pokémon. So who will be going first?"

"That's me," answered Ash. Misty nodded and headed over to the other end of the pool. Ash began to walk toward the challenger end of the pool. Then he had an idea, an idea only Ash would have before a Gym match. "Hey Anabel, why don't we let out our Pokémon to cheer us on for the match," said Ash smiling.

"Not a bad idea Ash," answered Anabel. The two of them released their Pokémon, with exception of Gible on Ash's part, since he would need him for the battle. Pikachu remained on Ash's shoulder. Anabel released Espeon, Seedot and Ralts. Espeon just laid down to try and take a nap and Seedot just sat down, looking around at all the strange things surrounding him. Ralts walked over to Anabel and she picked him up and set him on her lap. Ash then released his Pokémon. Primeape let out a roar to frighten his opponent, but he only succeeded in scaring Seedot. After Ash explained that there was no fight to be had, Primeape sat down and watched the pool, waiting to see Ash crush his opponents. Nincada…just stood there staring blankly at the pool. Eevee stretched a bit and looked around. Nothing really looked interesting, till she spied a certain purple cat. Moving quietly Eevee made her way over to Espeon and leapt on his back. After some leaping around and some playful laughter, Anabel convinced Espeon just to let Eevee sleep next to him. With some grumbling, Espeon agreed and the two of them lay there, with Eevee snuggling a little too close for Espeon's comfort.

"Hey, are we going to battle, or are you going to stand their staring," yelled Misty, bringing everyone back into reality. Ash ran over to the challenger's box, and took out his Pokéball, concentrating on the battle that was just about to take place. But, there would be one more interruption before the match started. Down the stairs came Dawn, dragging behind her May and Zoey. Although, they were all wearing different clothes. Each of them were wearing cheerleading outfits, the same kind that Dawn had worn to all of Ash's Gym matches throughout Sinnoh. Ash Brock and Anabel all smiled as the others made their way to the pool deck, but death glares from Zoey soon fixed that.

_I'm wearing a cheerleading uniform. A PINK cheerleading uniform. That's it, I am going to take a large knife and shave Dawn's head, and then we'll see who gets the last laugh,_ thought Zoey as she stood there fuming. May just stood their trying to pull the skirt down a bit more. Dawn just began cheering for Ash like she always had.

Ash waved to his friends, a sign of thanks. He then turned his complete attention to the match. He threw out the Pokéball and out popped the small land shark that was Gible. Misty also took out a Pokéball and out came a large, ten spiked, purple starfish. The two opponents stared at each other, eye to…weird jewel thing. The first round had begun. "Alright Gible, let's start strong with a Dragon Pulse." Gible quickly charged its attack and breathed out the energy toward his opponent. Starmie jumped into the water, dodging the Attack.

"Come on Ash, you're going to have to battle better than that if you want to beat me. Starmie, use Rapid Spin and knock Gible in the water." Out of the water emerged a spinning Starmie. It hit Gible and sent him into the water.

"Gible, use Dragon Pulse again," Ash called into the water. Gible released the energy, but nothing seemed to happen. Until, a vortex began to form around the surface of the water. The energy had formed a pseudo-whirlpool. Using the opening, Gible leapt from the pool and landed on a platform, and looking back into the whirlpool, it could see Starmie struggling in the vortex. "Alright Gible, use Rock Smash." Gible charged his fist and leapt back into the fray. He pulled back his fist and slammed it into the jewel of Starmie's…face. The force of the hit sent Starmie underwater and Gible back into the air. Gible landed on a platform safely and Starmie jumped out of the water onto a platform.

"Alright Starmie, use Psychic," yelled Misty. Starmie focused its mind and concentrated on Gible, using its telekinetic powers to lift him into the air. Starmie then slammed Gible into the platform, then lifted him back up and repeated the process, until its grip on the Land Shark loosened too much and had to let go. Gible slowly stood up, breathing hard.

"Gible let's finish this with a bang, use Draco Meteor." Gible threw his head back and charged up his attack. A large red orb could be seen forming in his throat. Gible then fired the orb into the air. It went up and up and…out. The orb crashed through the ceiling of the Gym. A few moments later, a small poping could be heard. A few orbs fell back through the ceiling and hit Starmie, knocking it out. But some small explosions could be heard from outside. Ignoring what was going on out there, everyone turned their attention back to the battle.

"Ash, could you have gone without destroying the ceiling," said Misty as she returned her Pokémon.

"Sorry about that," said Ash sheepishly. Misty just shook her head as she took out her next Pokéball, and threw it to reveal what looked like a big, blue jelly bean with fins and an antenna with a light on the end. "Okay Gible, return," said Ash as he held up Gible's Pokéball and recalled him. "Go, Pikachu." Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder and landed on one of the floating platforms.

"You'll regret that choice Ash," Misty said smirking. "Lanturn, use Water Pulse." Lanturn opened its mouth and shot out a compressed ball of water toward Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge and use Thunderbolt," said Ash. Pikachu dodged the ball of water and unleashed his electical energy. The attack hit Lanturn dead on, but the Light Pokémon didn't show any signs of pain. "Wha-, how is that thing fine, it was a direct hit? "

"Lanturn's ability, Volt Absorb, makes it invulnerable to electric attacks. It was the main reason I chose it for this battle. Now Lanturn, use Surf," Misty called out. The water in the pool began to swell around Lanturn and began to move toward Pikachu.

As the wave began to approach Pikachu, Ash got an idea. "Pikachu, use the platform as a surfboard," Ash called out. Pikachu nodded his head and braced himself as the wave began to overtake the platform. As the platform entered into the trough, Pikachu took control of the platform and began to surf along the wave. When the platform reached to crest of the wave Ash issued another order, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack." Pikachu jumped off of the wave and landed in the shallow water. As soon as he hit the ground he was off again, charging at Lanturn. With no water to escape too, Lanturn just took the attack. Afterward, the water began to level back out and Pikachu was left treading water in the pool.

"Sorry Ash, but this is it. Lanturn, use Ice Beam." Lanturn opened its mouth and fired what look like blue electricity at Pikachu. The attack was too swift for Pikachu to dodge while in water and the attack hit him directly, causing him to faint as he was encased in a block of ice. "Uh, Lanturn if you could please move Pikachu over to the edge of pool." Lanturn complied and pushed the frozen Pokémon toward Ash. Once there, Ash bent over and picked up his Pokémon out of the pool.

"Don't worry Pikachu, I'll get you out of there," said Ash as he pulled out a pokéball and released Gible once again. "Hey Gible, think you could use Rock Smash and shatter this ice," Ash asked the Land Shark Pokémon. Gible just stared at Ash blankly for a short time before moving his glance to the Pika-cicle. Charging his fist, he smashed the ice in one swing. Sitting in the remains of the ice, sat a shivering Pikachu. "Its okay, buddy. I'll have you warmed up in a bit." As he said this Ash removed his jacket and wrapped it around Pikachu. Pikachu squeaked in thanks and Ash turned back to Gible. "Alright Gible, get out there and win this. Gible nodded his head and jumped out to one of the floating platforms.

"Alright Lanturn lets end this right here and now. Use Ice Beam," Misty called out.

"Gible, dodge and use Rock Smash." Lanturn fired off another Ice Beam, but it wouldn't hit this time. Gible dove into the water, dodging the attack. Only moments later Gible resurfaced under Lanturn and knocked it into the air with Rock Smash. The Water-Type landed on one of the floating platforms, soon followed by Gible. "Alright Gible, finish this with an Eathquake," Ash ordered. Gible raised its foot into the air and slammed it onto the platform. Almost immediately, the platform shattered into a million pieces, causing both Pokémon to fly into the water. Gible was the first to surface, still conscious and ready to continue. But Lanturn was not so fortunate. Its weakness to Ground-Type plus the defense drop from Rock Smash left Lanturn to surface belly up.

"Well I guess this means you win Ash," Misty sighed and walked of the platform she was standing on and over to where everyone else was sitting, save for Dawn who was still standing. Ash also made his way over to where everyone was. "Well, I guess you earned this," Misty said as she handed Ash a Badge that was shaped like a rain drop.

"Alright, I got the Cascade Badge," Ash said as he struck his pose. Everyone was congratulating Ash on his victory, save for Zoey, who was still sitting down, fuming about the injustice she had been served. After everyone had congratulated Ash, he sat down and everyone except Dawn, who was going to cheer for Anabel as well, also sat down.

"I'll be over at the other end of the pool when your ready," Misty said smiling.

_What is with her,_ thought Anabel. _Did I do something to make her feel that way? _Then May's words from the other night rang in her head. _"__Yo__u only have one real opponent left, in more ways than one way." That's it! She must be the one May was talking about. Which means that...she's jealous of me._ Anabel turned around and looked at the group of pokémon sitting along the pool. _Espeon, you ready to fight?_

'Anything to get away from little miss crazy fur,' Espeon responded. But when Espeon stood up, Eevee looked up and began to cry. Espeon looked back and groaned, wondering what he was going to do. Luckily Ash came to his rescue.

"It's okay," Ash said softly. "Here, you can come sleep with me." Eevee looked up at Ash with her big sad eyes. Ash got the hint, and picked up the small fox and walked back over to his seat and set Eevee on his lap. Eevee quickly circled around itself and curled up into a ball in Ash's lap, and Ash began to slowly pet the Pokémon. All the girls went 'Aww' in unison which caused Ash to blush slightly at the sudden attention.

Anabel giggled a bit before walking over to her Seedot. _Hey, would you like to fight along side with me._

'O-oh, more f-f-fighting.'

_Don't worry, I'll help you. You have nothing to fear._

'Well, I-I guess I c-can give it a s-shot.'

_Thank you. I promise to do everything in my power to protect you. _Anabel withdrew the Acorn Pokémon and walked over to the Challengers platform, where Espeon was already laying back down. Anabel met Misty's gaze. _She still seems angry, but no one could tell behind that smile of hers._ "Well I'm ready."

"Okay then, lets get going," Misty said as she took out a Pokéball and threw it onto a platform. Out popped a blue salamander like creature that stood on its back legs.

On Anabel's side, Espeon began to rise to get ready to fight. _Sorry Espeon, but you'll have to play second fiddle for a while, okay?_

'Whatever you say, I'm going back to bed.' And with that, Espeon laid back down.

"Go, Seedot," Anabel called out. Seedot appeared on a floating platform. _You ready for this._ Seedot nodded slightly, but it was still shaking from fear.

"Quagsire, use Amnesia," Misty ordered. Quagsire just kept staring out into space, and forgot a bit of its memories to increase its resistance to ranged attacks.

_Okay Seedot, I want you to use Harden until she orders an attack and then I want you to dodge._ Seedot closed his eyes and began to harden his shell.

"If you won't attack then I will. Quagsire, use Water Pulse." Quagsire fired a pressurized ball of water out of his mouth, aimed toward Seedot. As soon as Misty called out her attack, Seedot opened his eyes and side-stepped out of the attack's trajectory. "Wow, that was a pretty smart maneuver. And you didn't even have to order it to dodge either," Misty said, impressed by the Pokémon's ability to act of it's own accord.

"Well its not as impressive as you think. I can communicate with Pokémon Telepathically. You see, I'm an empath, which means I can sense emotions," Anabel explained. But then she narrowed her eyes at Misty. "But that ability isn't limited to just Pokémon. I can also sense the emotions of people too." At this, Misty went wide-eyed. She bit her lower lip in nervousness. Anabel just nodded knowingly, sending shivers down Misty's spine.

_She knows,_ thought Misty. _That means she knows how I feel for Ash, and how I feel toward her. And I did so well to hide it, but I guess it doesn't matter._ "Alright then, this match will decide for us." Anabel just sighed, knowing there was no way to convince her at this point. She was obsessed with winning so she could have Ash. Anabel nodded in agreement. "Quagsire, Water Pulse again."

_Seedot, use Bide, _Anabel told Seedot. He braced himself for the attack, absorbing the pain and storing energy. Misty, unaware of what was going on just ordered for another Water Pulse. The attack hit Seedot again. Fed up with waiting, Misty ordered Quagsire to get on the same platform as Seedot. _As soon as he gets on the platform, unleash your energy._ It took no time at all for the Water-Type to get to the other platform. But when he jumped onto it, he was met with a beam of light, striking him square in the face. Quagsire was sent back into the water but he quickly got back up onto the platform. _Now Seedot, use Absorb._ Seedot concentrated and released a green, transparent tendril, which surrounded Quagsire and sapped what remaining health he had left.

"Oh well," said Misty. "But don't think you've won yet. Go, Gyarados." Out of the water emerged a giant water serpent.

"Seedot, return," Anabel called out. _Alright Espeon it's your turn._ Sluggishly, Espeon got to his feet. Then, as if it were nothing, leapt to one of the platforms.

"This is the end for you. Gyarados, use Aqua Tail," Misty commanded.

Anabel just stood there stoically. _Espeon, Zap Cannon,_ was Anabel's simple order. Once Gyarados was close enough, brought its tail out of the water, aiming to smash into the Sun Pokémon. But, it was too slow. Espeon narrowed its eyes, and fired a large ball of electricity at the sea serpent. The attack smashed into the pokémon and it fell back into the water. "It looks like this match is mine," said Anabel as she turned and walked back to her friends. Gyarados soon floated back to the surface of the water, completely unconscious. _Sorry Misty, but with a crippling weakness like that, I don't know how you expected to win._ Anabel thought to herself. Espeon was following Anable back, glad that it only had to do a minimum amount of work.

Just like with Ash, everyone was congratulating Anabel on her success. Ash and Zoey stayed sitting. Ash didn't want to disturb the ball of fluff on his lap and Zoey refused to stand unless it was to take off the rediculous outfit. Dawn rolled her eyes and told May and Zoey that they could have their clothes back, and went back up the stairs headed back to the bathroom the had changed in. Zoey and May followed quichly after, wanting to get out of the embarrassing outfit.

Misty made her way, over to the group and gave Anabel the Cascade Badge. Anabel offered her hand to Misty, which she reluctantly accepted. "Just remember this, don't ever let your emotions get the better of you," Anabel said in a whisper to quiet for Ash and Brock to hear. Misty just glowered for only a second, signifying she hadn't given up, but quickly changed back into her cheerfull façade.

After everyone had recalled their Pokémon, and Dawn, Zoey, and May had changed clothes, they all left the Gym, with Misty cheerfully waving them goodbye. Once they were out of sight, she lowered her hand, clenched her teeth and ran back into the Gym.

Everyone had made it back to the Pokémon Center, and Ash and Anabel had turned over the Pokémon that needed healing. Once that was done, everyone was standing in the lobby, and Dawn exclaimed, "Alright, you guys did good, but now its time for us to prepare for the contest. You will stay for it, right?" Dawn looked over to her friends expenctantly, but before anyone could answer, another voice spoke up.

"I hope you don't mean the contest to be held here in two days," said a person sitting in the lobby. No one in the group recognized the boy.

"Um, yes we do," answered Dawn.

"Then I'm afraid you won't be able to compete. You see, earlier today one of the judges, Mr. Sukizo, was involved in an accident. Apparently some kind of red orbs came crashing down around him." At this everyone glanced at Ash, who just sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "He wasn't hurt too badly but he can't be judge the contest so it was called off. Sorry about that," the boy said as he stood and walked toward the door.

"Wait, who are you anyway," Ash called after him.

The boy turned his head around and glanced at Ash. "My name is Gold," he said simply and ran out of the Pokémon Center.

"Aw, man. I guess we don't have any reason to stay here anymore," Dawn said. Everyone nodded and sighed. "Well I guess we should have some lunch before we leave."

"Sounds good, Ash, you're cooking," Brock said.

"Oh, come on," Ash said exasperated. Everone just laughed as Ash plodded to the kitchen with Brock on his heels. Everyone made their way to the cafeteria to wait for lunch. The day certainly was packed, and it wasn't even over yet. What else could possible happen? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

* * *

**Chapter END. Yays. I finally finished the Cerulean ark. I'm so happy. **

**So yeah I got it done. Now before you complain that this took forever, give me a chance to explain myself. You see after last chapter, I just decided to wait ti get a new computer before continuing. So after waiting about a month, I was able to get a new computer. But, I didn't have any Microsoft Software...so writing became impossible. But that was remedied by the fact the the website has recommendations for writing software. So after downloading that I was able to write some of the chapter, but then it hit me...I couldn't log into FFnet. Yeah mock me if you must but come on, this is the only site I go to that requires a number in the password, so I couldn't use some of my regulars. And just as it so happened the recovery system was out of whack so I could log in...Sorry TT^TT. But hey here I am.**

**Anyway, onto the chapter. To be honest, I really didn't know what to do with Misty. I didn't think she would get along with Anabel but she wouldn't be openly mean to one of Ash's friends. Confronted with this dilemma, I decided to base Misty off of someone I know. She acts just like this. When certain people are around, she's as nice as can be, but when they aren't around, she's as mean as a viper. But enough about that. The nightmare sequence at the beginning, the dream will become clearer as the journey continues. Also, I didn't really know any kind way to skip the contest...so I injured one of the judges (oh relax he'll be fine). Also Gold makes an appearance, but is was really short. More on that next time. (P.S. I know that Misty's Lanturn doesn't have Volt Absorb, I hope you can forgive me. ****I know i should have used Nincada since it was a bug type, but...Meh)**. And before you complain that Seedot could no way ever beat Quagsire, I'll say this. If we were going by game rules then yes, it would never happen. But this is based mostly on the Anime and levels in the Anime are so whacked i.e. Pikachu losing to anyone from about third gen on. 

**Just a little tidbit for next time, the chapter will start with the Cloaked man and then go into a flashback, and then we return to our heroes. And a note about the previous chapter, I didn't realize the shock the Espeon was a boy would induce. I mean, just look at how he acts: lazy, sarcastic, and irritable. Totally male.**

**I think that's everything so per usual, Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and other such things. If it wasn't for you guys, I probably wouldn't still be doing this. **

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Wow, Deja vu.**

Chapter 13: We're on a boat

It was time for lunch when the cloaked man had made it to his next destination, the southern security booth of Saffron City. The cloaked man entered the door to the booth. The four booths surrounding Saffron were the only way into and out of the city. The cloaked man walked over to the desk and began to engage the security officer in conversation. "Hello, how are you today," said the cloaked man.

The security officer looked at the man, noting the cloak. "I'm fine. Isn't it a bit hot to be wearing such a heavy cloak?"

"Nah, it's fine. I like the heat anyway."

"Alright, can I help you with anything?"

"Yes you can. I'm going to need you to keep someone out of this town," as the cloaked man said this, his pulled a picture out of one of his pockets. "Here, this a picture of the person."

The officer took the picture and glanced at it. It was a picture of some kid. "Look, buddy, I can't just ban people from coming to the city. There would have to be a good reason to do so."

"I think I have about one thousand good reasons that say you should," the cloaked man reached back into his pocket and pulled out a small roll of bills.

The officer looked back and forth a few times to make sure they were alone. Quickly, he grabbed the roll and said, "Glad I could be of help sir, I hope you have a nice day." The cloaked man just chuckled and walked out of the booth.

On the other side of the door the cloaked man walked toward Vermillion City. "Well, I'm out four thousand," he sighed to himself. "It's amazing what a few thousand dollars can do to some people. Which reminds me, I wonder what Gold is up to. There's only a few days left before the meeting. Knowing him, he's probably trying to get into the Game Corner in Celadon. I can still remember when I met the delinquent."

* * *

**Flashback to a week ago.**

The S.S. Aqua was swaying with the waves. It had been at sea for a few hours and should be docking in Vermillion soon. The cloaked man had enough of staring at the churning wave and was headed back to his room. That when he heard a loud voice down one of the hallways. Looking at the info board above the hallway the cloaked man realized that this hallway lead to the Gambling Hall. This peaked the man's curiosity, so he decided to see what all the hullabaloo was about. Coming around a corner he saw a young kid with black hair that was mostly covered by his hat that he wore backwards. He wore a red hoodie sweatshirt and black shorts. He was arguing with a guy twice his size who was wearing a black suit; obviously the bouncer.

"Aw, come on, can I just go in for five minutes. That's all I need to win it big," the kid said.

The bouncer looked very angry. "No, means no kid. Now get out of here before I call security." It was obvious that the kid had been there for a while.

"Well maybe my good friend, Mr. Washington can change your mind," said the kid reaching into his pocket.

"Your going to bribe me, with a dollar," the bouncer said.

"Actually its a quarter, but it still has Washington on it."

"LEAVE," and with that the bouncer went back into the Gambling Hall and shut the door behind him.

The kid just lowered his head and kicked at the ground, mumbling, "Stupid age requirement laws."

The cloaked man couldn't take it anymore. The scene was just too funny. He began to laugh uncontrollably. The kid looked up from where he was standing, first noticing the mans presence. "Hey what are you laughing at."

"I'm sorry, but that was just so funny. You were trying to bribe someone with pocket change. Tell me how were you going to win any money gambling if you don't have any to begin with," the cloaked man said as he was starting to calm down. The kid just put his head down again. Once the cloaked man had regained his composure he began to talk again. "You know, I like you kid. Whats your name?"

The boy's face suddenly lit up as if nothing had ever happened and exclaimed proudly, "My name is Gold and I'm going to be the worlds greatest Pokémon Gambler."

"Really, that's an interesting goal," said the cloaked man. "But what do Pokémon have to do with Gambling."

"Well, that's easy to answer. Despite the fact that I like to use Gambling Halls like this one, my real income comes from Pokémon battles." Before anyone could say anything else, a beeping sound could be heard. Reaching into his pocket, Gold pulled out a cell phone like device. After staring at the screen for a moment Gold sighed, "Well it's been nice talking to you, but apparently I'm needed in the Battle Hall."

"Really, that's where I was headed before I saw all this," the cloaked man lied.

"Cool, so why are you on this boat anyway," Gold said as he turned to walk down the hallway. The cloaked man was walking next to him.

"Just trying to get to Kanto. I was on a business trip in Johto," the cloaked man said. "So why did you say you needed to go to the Battle Hall?"

"Well, I got a text that said that I was supposed to meet my friends there," Gold explained.

"You have friends," the cloaked man joked.

"Hey, watch it," Gold exclaimed. At that moment they entered the Battle Hall and Gold began to scan the room. After a while he found his friends and ran over to them. The cloaked man followed behind. He looked at the two people that Gold was talking to. One of them was about the same height as Gold, with long red hair and a blue jacket and matching jeans. The other person was short. Really short. They didn't even look like they were five foot yet. They had bright blonde hair and a black shirt on with a brown vest covering the front. They had on purple pants and matching boots. Whether this person was male or female was hard to tell, as they had a straw hat covering their hair. By now the cloaked man had made his way over to the group of friends. "Oh, and I met this guy near the Gambling Hall. This is, um, actually I never got you name."

"What is a name," the cloaked man philosophized. "Nothing more than a label to recognize one another verbally."

The three of them just stared at the cloaked man for a moment before shrugging. "Well, these are my friends," Gold said. "This here is Silver."

The boy with the long red hair stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy said unemotionally.

"Silver," the cloaked man said slowly. "Oh, yeah I remember hearing about you. So why are you heading to Kanto."

"I'm going to visit my father," Silver said, only this time with a tinge of anger in his voice. The cloaked man just chuckled.

"And this is my other friend," Gold said. "His name is, AHH—" Gold started to hop around on one foot, gripping his other shin.

"How many times do I have to tell you," the blonde yelled. "Stop introducing me like that." Turning back to the cloaked man, the person smiled sweetly. "Sorry about that. My name is Yellow," they said. Then at the last minute took off their hat and added, "And I'm a girl." It was true. From under the had fell a long pony tail.

Gold had recovered from the kick to his shin and was standing on two feet again. He was glaring at Yellow who just ignored him. _Wow, what an interesting group of kids. I wonder how I can use this to my advantage._ "Hey Gold, I was wondering. You said you were a Gambler. So what do you say to a little wager."

"What kind of wager," said Gold, smirking at the prospect of making a quick buck.

"Well, if you win, I'll pay you, but if I win then you have to assist me."

"Assist you? Sorry buddy, but I'm not for hire," Gold said.

"Not even for one hundred thousand, cash," the cloaked man said nonchalantly.

"ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS," Gold yelled. Gold swallowed hard. _That's a lot of money. If he's willing to bet that much then he probably isn't a push over. But even the chance of winning outweighs any task he could have for me. _"I accept these terms."

"Good, it will be a one on one battle," the cloaked man said as he walked toward the reservation desk to procure a battle field.

"Are you sure about this Gold," Yellow said. "You could get into some real trouble with this. What if he wants you to do something illegal."

"You talk like I'm going to lose," Gold said confidently. "Come on, how many times have I actually lost a high stakes match."

"Too many," Silver said.

"Says the guy who's never beaten me," Gold said smirking.

"Oh shut up."

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Yellow said.

"Oh will you relax, what's the worst that could happen."

Gold and the cloaked man stood across from each other. Gold took out a Pokéball and threw it to reveal a large badger-like creature, with a ring of flames on its shoulders. "This here is Typhlosion. He was my first Pokémon. Together there's nothing we can't do." The cloaked man just stood silently for a moment, before throwing out his own ball. Out popped a Pokémon that was exactly the same as Gold's. Gold just stared at his opponent for a few moments. "What are the odds," Gold said laughing lightly. "But don't think that just because we have the same Pokémon that it will give you an advantage. Typhlosion use Focus Blast to start things off."

Gold's Typhlosion charged up the attack and threw it at its opponent. But instead of dodging, it just stood there and took the attack. "Ha, you call that an attack. We barely felt it. Now Typhlosion, let's show them a real attack: Blast Burn." The cloaked man's Typhlosion reared it's head back and launched a fireball at its opponent.

"Dodge it," Gold ordered. But alas, the attack was too quick, and hit Typhlosion. Upon contact, the fireball expanded into a massive bonfire surrounding Gold's Typhlosion. When the fire died down, everyone saw that Gold's Typhlosion was unconscious. "How could we lose so easily," Gold said as he recalled his Pokémon. "Just one attack. That's all it took." Gold fell to his knees.

The cloaked man returned his Pokémon as well and walked over to where Gold was. "Come now, you should be able to take losses in stride. If you don't, how will you ever get better," he said, trying to comfort the boy. "Now, I won't need your help for a while. I'll need you to meet me at Viridian City in about two weeks," and with that, the cloaked man turned to leave.

"Wait," Gold called, not moving from his position. "When I finish this task I want a rematch."

"Fair enough, now if you excuse me, the boat is about to dock," and he was gone.

Outside, on the wharf, Gold, Silver and Yellow were standing around. "I guess this is goodbye for now, Silver. Good luck with your Dad," Gold said to his friend.

"Whatever," Silver said as he turn and walked off.

"So Gold, what are you going to do now," asked Yellow.

"I'm going to Viridian, and I'm going to beat that cloaked guy," Gold said through clenched teeth.

"Alright then, we had better get going," said Yellow.

"You're still going with me," Gold asked.

"Of course," answered Yellow. "This may even give me the inspiration I need." The two of them walked off of the wharf, unaware of the fact that the whole conversation was overheard by a certain cloaked man, standing behind a shipping crate.

* * *

**Flash Forward**

The cloaked man laughed to himself. "Youth is wasted on the young," he said. He kept walking toward Vermillion, intent on getting there before night fell.

* * *

Meanwhile, everyone had finished lunch. Ash had been forced to make sandwiches, which everyone enjoyed. Ash just passed it off, saying he had a great teacher. Everyone packed up their stuff and met in front of the Pokémon Center in Cerulean. "Well I guess its time to go our separate ways again," said Brock.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We're sure to run into each other again," said May.

"Then I guess this is see you later," said Ash. "Good luck in the next Contest you guys."

"Where is the next Contest even," Dawn asked May.

"Lavender Town," she answered. "Where are you guys headed?"

"Vermillion City is the next Gym, so we should be headed there next," said Brock. With that everyone said their final goodbye. Ash and company headed south while May's group headed to the east. They had made their was to edge of town and were on their way toward Saffron city. They kept walking for quite some time without anything of any consequence happening. Eventually they entered a small forest, which would lead right to the entrance to Saffron City. It wasn't until the sun was starting to fall below the horizon that they decided to stop for dinner. Brock gave Ash a break and cooked dinner himself. Ash and Anabel sat and began to talk to each other.

"So Anabel, you did pretty good in that Gym Battle. You must have trained Seedot pretty hard," Ash said.

"Actually, I didn't train at all," said Anabel proudly.

"What, you haven't trained," Ash exclaimed.

"Well, I never really found the time," Anabel said, wondering why Ash was so worked up.

"That's distressing. And here I thought Misty was a difficult opponent and you beat her with a pokémon you hardly even used. I guess that ability of yours really is helpful in battle," Ash said. "But, don't think you can beat every Gym Leader like that. How about tomorrow you and I do some training."

"Uh, I guess that would be okay," Anabel said. _Ash is going to help me train my Pokémon. I can't wait._

"Earth to Anabel," Ash said as he waved in front of her face. She snapped back out of la la land and fell back with I slight yelp, shocked by how close Ash had gotten to her without her realizing. "Are you okay," Ash asked, surprised at the reaction he received from the girl. Anabel sat back up and nodded her head. "Good," Ash sighed in relief. Just then Brock said that dinner was ready and the two of them got up and walked over to where Brock was serving stew.

They sat eating and talking with each other. After a while they all released their Pokémon and gave them all their food. Then they went back to their own food, laughing at the chaos caused by Ash's Eevee and Anabel's Espeon. This time, Eevee tried to eat out of the same bowl as Espeon, who continually cut the small fox off. Ash was able to convince Eevee to eat out of her own bowl and to leave Espeon alone, for now anyway. They had all finished eating, when Anabel asked Ash a question, "Say Ash, what do you do for training anyway." She hadn't seen him training a few days ago and was curious about his methods.

Ash thought about it for a while, not sure on how to answer. Eventually he said, "I suppose, I just let my Pokémon train each other. I'll sometimes give them special training but most of the time they accomplish things on their own. It's a representation of the bond we have. Because we trust each other, they all work as hard as can. And in return, I lead them to victory." After Ash had finished his speech, he scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed that he had gotten so carried away. Brock and Anabel just laughed, amused at Ash's embarrassment. The night continued, and everyone had prepared to go to sleep. All the Pokémon had been recalled, save for Pikachu and Espeon. The three of them got into their sleeping bags and drifted off into sleep.

It was about midnight, when there was a loud sound echoing through the forest. The noise was loud enough to wake up Pikachu and Espeon, who were both sleeping atop their respective trainers. Glancing at each other, they knew that what they heard wasn't a dream. Then the noise sounded again, startling Pikachu and causing him to fall off of Ash. Ash, noticing the weight difference, woke up. Espeon simply stepped off of Anabel, and laid back down going back to sleep. Ash began to whisper quietly, "Hey Pikachu, what is it." Then once again the sound erupted from the shadows. "What was that," Ash said, curious about the noise. He stood up and began to make his was toward where the sound had come from. Unfortunately, he didn't watch where he was going and tripped over a rock sticking out of the ground and landed on Anabel's sleeping bag. The girl began to rouse from being jostled about. When she saw Ash laying on top of her, her blood began to race to her face and she almost screamed. Ash began to recover from his fall. "Huh, oh, sorry about that Anabel. I tripped, I didn't mean to wake you."

Anabel began to calm down and was able to talk again. "That's okay Ash. It happens to the best of us," she said, trying to quell the nervousness in her voice. Then the sound echoed again. "What was that?"

"That's what I want to know. Since your awake now do you want to come with me," Ash asked innocently.

"Uh, sure," Anabel said nervously. The two of them began to walk through the forest, both still wearing their sleeping garb. Occasionally they would hear the sound again. Anabel's mind couldn't keep from wandering from time to time. _We're walking alone through the woods, at night. This would be so romantic if he actually felt the way I do._ She glanced over at Ash, who was completely focused on the path ahead. _I guess that's out. Why did he have to be so oblivious._ They had reached a small clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing, there was a cage and in the cage was a small white and blue bird. Then they heard the sound again. "The sound is coming from that cage. It's a Pokémon and it sounds like its using Uproar," said Anabel.

"But why would it be in a cage," Ash asked.

"Maybe someone trapped it and is coming back for it," reasoned Anabel.

"Then I suppose we had better free it before they come back," Ash said as he walked over to the cage. Anabel follow behind him.

When they reached the cage they were able to identify the identity of the captured Pokémon. It was a Swablu, but it was badly injured. After some effort, they were able to free it. It tried to fly but its wings were too injured and it couldn't even get off the ground. "Do you think we should take it back to camp," Anabel asked.

"No question about it. We can't just leave it here to get attacked again," answered Ash. "Come on, we had better get back to camp. Do you think you can carry it back?"

"Sure," Anabel said as she began to scoop up the tiny bird. By now it had passed out due to fatigue. The two of them walked back to camp, and a new problem arose. What were they going to do with it for the rest of the night? "Well, one of us could catch it," suggested Anabel.

"I guess that is an option," said Ash.

"Then it's settled," said Anabel happily. She took out a Pokéball from her bag and tapped it against the unconscious bird. It didn't give much of a fight, and the ball dinged to signify a successful capture. Happy with herself, Anabel got back into her sleeping bag and Espeon crawled back on top of her. Ash just shook his head and went back to his sleeping bag, careful to avoid that rock. Before long everything had returned to normal as if nothing had happened. The next day was approaching quickly. What was in store for our heroes? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

**New Chapter. Already? CELEBRATION TIME. I suppose you could say this was my apology present for making everyone wait so long. So don't expect this often. I will be uploading more often but not this often. Also, kind of a short chapter, sorry about that.**

**Wow I didn't expect that flashback to take so long. I thought it would just be a short little blurb but once I started, I just went crazy. I few notes on new characters: Gold will be seen more later in the story and yes Yellow will be traveling with him. The reason being that there isn't anyone else left for her to travel with. I could put her by herself but thats not the Anime way. I always wanted Yellow to be in the Anime, but no luck with that. I did change her character from the Manga but I mean, most of the Animanga counterparts are very different (i.e. Sapphire and May). Anyway I also got rid of her abilities since they were too similar to Anabels (note: Similar, I know they are different). So instead of that, I made her a Tsundere (don't know what that is, eh, don't worry about it). If you don't like that idea...well...too bad. Don't like, write your own story (what I mean is this is my decision. I like to ask reader opinion but I still make the majority of the choices). Silver is a sub plot, that is all. **

**Also, major props to anyone who can find the 'Weekenders' reference in this chapter (its a direct quote if that helps).**

**Sorry our heroes weren't in this enough, next time will be completely focused on them. And very soon, the long awaited Shipping begins. Mwahahahahahaah. (Vermillion to be exact). **

**Well I think that's everything, so as usual, Please Review. I was glad to see the reviews of the last chapter, but don't be afraid to leave another one, I always accept them (and cake). **

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I'm running out ideas for these things…sigh.**

Chapter 14: A Day Well Cared For

The night was coming to an end, and the sun was beginning to flood the sky with colors. Some of the wild Pokémon were beginning to scurry through the woods, trying to get some food. Brock was the first of the group to wake up, and he immediately began to prepare breakfast. As he was making the food, the smell had woken up Pikachu, who hopped off of Ash and made his way over to Brock, hoping for some breakfast of his own. Brock just smiled at the yellow mouse, and put some food in a bowl for him. Soon after this, Ash also began to stir. After a quick stretch and a change of clothes Ash sat down next to Brock for the breakfast that had been made. After Ash had finished, he let out all of his Pokémon to be fed. Awakened by the commotion, Espeon also joined in breakfast. Ash took the initiative and let out the rest of Anabel's Pokémon to be fed. Needless to say, at this point, the little clearing in the woods was filled to the brim with Pokémon.

With all the Pokémon fed, Ash made his way over to Brock to sit and wait for the Pokémon to finish. Eventually, even Anabel woke up and was given breakfast to eat. Once everyone had been filled to contentment, all the Pokémon were recalled, sans Pikachu and Espeon. At this time, Anabel thought it best to bring up the issue of her newest capture. "Hey Brock, you're like a Pokémon doctor, right?"

"Well, I am well versed in Pokémon first aid, if that's what you're asking."

"Good, do you think you could have a look at a Pokémon for me," Anabel asked and brought out a pokéball and handed it over to Brock.

"Well I don't see why not," Brock said and took the ball from Anabel. He released the Pokémon onto the table they had used to eat breakfast. The Swablu came out but was still sleeping from the night before. Brock examined the Pokémon for a few moments before returning with his diagnosis. "Well it seems that its major problem in fatigue, although one of its wings seems a bit stiff, probably a cramp or a mild sprain. All it needs is some rest and it'll be just fine."

"That's a relief. I worried that it may have been seriously injured."

"Why's that," Brock asked passively.

"We found that Swablu locked in a cage last night in the middle of the woods. We were able to free it but it passed out in the process," Ash said, deciding to speak for the first time on the matter.

"Hmm, I see," said Brock. "Well, my decision stands. You need to give it some time to rest. I suggest keeping it in its pokéball till later, at least until it wakes up." Anabel complied and returned the Pokémon and placed the b

* * *

all back into her bag. Now, with everything seemingly in order, the group headed off, hoping to make it to the edge of the forest soon. Saffron City couldn't come soon enough.

Meanwhile, a short ways off, a certain trio was sitting with their backs to each other, clearly depressed. Finally one of them spoke up. "The plan was simple," said the short cat-like creature. "All we had to do was lure the twerps into our trap and then capture Pikachu and make a run for the boss before the creepy cloaked guy caught up with us."

"It sounds simple, but," said the blue haired one.

Then, all together, they hung their heads and said, "We fell asleep."

"Well I said we should just keep the Swablu," said the red haired member. "But no, we had to use it as bait for the twerps." She growled and stood up, walking a few feet before turning back around facing her two companions. "Well what are we going to do now?"

"I guess we could go on with the plan, just without the trap," said the cat.

"Do you have the robot all ready to go, Meowth," asked James, the blue haired male of the group. Meowth nodded and the group headed off into the woods where Meowth had the robot parked.

* * *

Ash and company had been walking for a good while, and the sun was finally penetrating into the forest. According to the map that Brock was looking at, they were just a short ways from the edge of the forest, and then it would only be a few miles to Saffron. After a few more minutes of walking, the group came to a large clearing in the woods. But what was odd about this clearing is that there was a house there. As the group was walking in front of the house, the door opened and out came an old man. The old man was carrying a large bag that read Pokémon Food on the front. The man was having a bit of trouble carrying the sack, and he eventually dropped it on the ground, soon followed by the man falling on the ground. "Hey, mister," Ash called out to the old man. "Do you need a hand?"

The old man looked up to see the group staring at him. Embarrassed that his moment of weakness was witnessed by a bunch of kids, he called out to them, "I suppose I could use a few extra. I'm getting too old for this." The group walked over to the man and Ash picked up the bag as if it were nothing, and putting it over his shoulder. "If you could take that over to the barn for me I would be very grateful." Ash nodded and walked over to said barn and set the sack down inside. When Ash returned, the old man was standing again. "Thank you lad."

"It wasn't a problem," said Ash, wearing his trademark grin. "But why would you need so much Pokémon food?"

"Well you see this is a Pokémon Day-Care. I need all that food to feed the clients Pokémon."

"A Day-Care," Brock said slowly. "I do remember a Day-Care around here, but I thought it was run by a couple and their daughter," said Brock, remembering the time they had been here previously, and their friend May received an egg from the family.

The old man chuckled," Well yes. That's my son, who inherited the place from me when I retired. But everyone needs a vacation once in a while, so I promised to look after the place while they went on a trip."

"Well I'm glad we could be of help," said Ash.

"So am I," the old man said, chuckling again. "I feel like I need to repay you somehow. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Ash thought about it for a little while. After looking around quickly, he said, "You have a lot of room around here, lots of open spaces." The old man nodded, not quite understanding what Ash was getting at. "Well, if you don't mind, could you let us train our Pokémon here for a little while?"

"You guys are Pokémon Trainers," the old man said. "Ah, the sure does bring back memories. Back when this place was in its prime. You may not believe it when you look at me now, but I used to be renowned as a Trainer. I didn't do any of the completion stuff, I lived for raising Pokémon. People would come from all over Kanto to let me raise their Pokémon. Then I would give them back and take on another. Hmm, oh pardon me. I was lost in my ramblings. I would be glad to have you use the property; I only ask to let me watch."

"That's fine with me," said Ash, turning to Anabel who nodded her head. They walked past the barn to get a look at the field. It was big enough to fit all the Pokémon comfortably. Ash went first, releasing his four Pokémon from their balls, as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder to bring the number up to five. Primeape began to stretch its muscles while taking in its surroundings. It tried to ignore Nincada, who was standing next to him. Nincada didn't really move, he just sat there staring forward. Eevee was still sleeping, so all anyone could see was a ball of brown fluff laying on the ground. Gible dug a hole in the ground, disappearing from sight. Pikachu just sat among the ranks.

Anabel released two of her Pokémon from their balls, with Espeon slinking up to them and laying down in the grass. Ralts let out a small yawn and began to take in its surroundings. Seedot took a few looks around, concluded that the area was safe, and sat down. With everyone gathered, it was time to train. "Alright Anabel, just watch and follow my lead," Ash said, then he turned to his Pokémon and continued, "Alright everyone, time for some training, so no slacking off. Now Pikachu, I want you and Nincada to work together. Electricity won't hurt him and Nincada still needs to work on his speed so you and him will work well together. Primeape, you'll be working with Gible. You're both strong so you two will do well sparring with each other. After all, iron sharpens iron." Ash looked over to Anabel, signaling her to give similar orders to her Pokémon.

"Uh, well," Anabel wasn't really sure where to start. "I guess Ralts and Seedot, you guess can spar with each other. And, uh, Espeon you can, uh—"

'Take a nap? What a wonderful idea,' said the purple cat as he remained laying on the ground.

"I guess that's everything," said Anabel.

"Alright then, everyone, let's go," Ash said and everyone broke up into their groups. Pikachu grabbed by the antenna and dragged him across the field. Gible burst from under the ground and prepared itself for its training against the Pig Monkey. The two of them walked off to a different area of the field than Pikachu and Nincada. Seedot and Ralts just looked at each other, not really what to do. Ash noticed this, and walked over to the two and asked, "Is there a problem?" The two of them just stared at him. "Hmm, well from what I've seen, I would say Seedot's prevailing strategy at this point relies on his defense. So Ralts, what you need to do is help him with that by attacking him. This way, you attack get stronger at the same time as his defense. Just don't go overboard, this is just training," the boy finished his short motivational speech and the two Pokémon nodded, walking off to follow the orders they were given.

"Wow Ash," Anabel said. "That was impressive. I guess I'm not very good at this concentrated training session stuff."

"How did your other Pokémon get so strong if you never trained them," asked Ash.

"Well, it isn't very difficult to train Psychic-type Pokémon," Anabel said, rubbing the back of her head. "Alakazam has an I.Q. of over 5000. Metagross has four brains, giving it capabilities that surpass supercomputers. It's hard to train Pokémon that can outsmart even you. I normally just let them do what they wanted and then later they would tell me the different strategies they had formulated. It may seem like I never really did any of the work, but I did do a fair amount of work. Just because they thought of the strategy didn't mean it always worked against every opponent. I had to discern which one was best fit for the situation."

"What about Espeon," Ash asked, getting a questioning look from Anabel. "How did Espeon train, is what I mean."

"Espeon and I would always work together. Espeon as a species are capable of predicting its opponent's moves. So training would normally be battling Alakazam or Metagross. If we could predict their movements, we knew we could out strategize anyone. I guess that how he got so lazy out of battle," Anabel said, laughing a bit at the revelation. Then she noticed some motion out of the corner of her. "Well, it looks like Eevee is finally waking up." It was true, Ash's Eevee had woken up, and it was stretching itself at the moment. "Why don't you train Eevee?"

"Heh, Eevee currently has a small problem," Ash said. "Eevee doesn't have any moves that can attack, and I haven't thought of any way to train it without brutally attacking it."

"Can't attack you say," said a voice from behind the two. Surprised, Ash and Anabel turned to see the old man standing behind them. "Sorry for eavesdropping but I couldn't help over hearing you dilemma. Now, I may have a solution to your little problem."

"Really," said Ash. "And what would that be?"

"Bring Eevee with you, and come into my barn," the old man turned and headed into his barn. Ash just looked at Anabel and shrugged.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," he said to her. "Hey Eevee, come over here," he said to the tiny fox. When its name was called, Eevee looked over toward Ash and, happy to see him, ran over to him. Climbing up Ash, Eevee eventually came to rest atop the trainer's head. Ash began to make his way over to the barn where the old man was. Once inside, Ash took note of what was inside. There was a pile of food sacks, one of which he had carried in earlier. There were lots of different stalls, probably for keeping the younger Pokémon. Then Ash noticed the old man at the back of the barn and walked up to him.

"Ah, good to see you could make it," the old man said. He was holding what looked like a CD case. "Now, here I have a solution to your attacking problem."

"What is it?"

"I'm glad you asked, lad," the old man said. "These here are Technical Machines, or TMs as the kids call them these days. Anyway, using these you can teach Pokémon moves depending on what disc it is. Now, do you know what you want to evolve your Eevee into?" Ash shook his head. "Hmm, then I suggest this one." The old man pulled out a disc that was purple and had a number thirty printed on it. "Now this here will teach your Pokémon the move Shadow Ball, a ghost type move. It might not be the best move but it'll do until you can get some better techniques. Now are you sure you want to do this?"

"Well, Eevee, what do you think," Ash asked the small being that was lying on top of his head. Eevee gave a small mew and climbed down onto Ash's shoulder. She then proceeded to give him a small lick on the cheek and then smiled and rubbed her head against his. "I guess that means yes."

"Alright then, if you would permit me," the old man took the disc and placed it back into the case. He then placed a pair of earphones over the small Pokémon's ears and hit the play button. A few moments later, Eevee fell asleep and there was a small cracking sound. The old man opened the case and dumped the shrapnel into a near-by garbage can. "I really wish there was a way to use these things without them breaking. I hear that some region has perfected the technology but it hasn't made its way here. Oh, and don't worry about the little guy, he just needs some rest."

"How do we know if it worked?"

"Well, these things haven't failed me yet; don't see why they would this time." The two of them walked out of the barn to see that everyone had finished training. Pikachu was sitting next to Espeon while and Nincada was sitting by himself a little ways away. Primeape and Gible had passed out on the ground from fatigue. Seedot and Ralts were sitting near Pikachu and Espeon.

"I guess training is over," Ash said to no one in particular.

"I think they gave it their all," the old man said. "Pokémon always train their hardest when trying to impress their trainer." The old man laughed. Ash walked over to Anabel, who was sitting next to Brock who had been reading a book on Breeding. Ash sat down with his friends and looked up into the sky. The sun was just about to reach the top of the sky, meaning that it was almost noon. Ash lay down on the soft grass and got ready to take a short nap before they hit the road again.

"Well if this is all training is, I think I can handle it," Anabel said.

Ash propped his head up and said, "Well this isn't all there is to training. But we can get into that some other time." Ash then laid his head back down and pulled his cap over his eyes. Anabel just gigged a little at the sight.

* * *

Over with the Pokémon, Pikachu and Espeon were playing a little game. 'Alright, this is it, double or nothing. Now, I'm thinking of a number, between one and one thousand.'

Espeon just sighed, 'Four-hundred and thirty-nine.'

'Arg, how do you do that,' Pikachu exclaimed, completely forgetting what Psychic meant. But then, Pikachu heard a noise in the woods. 'Hey, did you hear that.'

'Hear what,' Espeon said, slightly bored. But before Pikachu could answer, a large mechanical hand shot out of the forest and grabbed Pikachu, pulling it into the forest. '…Didn't see that coming,' Espeon said, as Ash and the others ran over to where all the commotion was taking place, wondering what was happening.

Suddenly, a large robot emerged from the forest, piloted by Jessie, James, and Meowth. Out of the top of the machine, the trio rose laughing maniacally. "Team Rocket," Ash grumbled under his breath.

"Listen, is the a voice I hear," Jessie began their motto.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear," James said, filling in the next line.

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"In your ear," Meowth spoke up.

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place."

"A rose by any other name is just a sweet."

"When everything's worse, our work is complete."

"Jessie!"

"And it's James!"

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"

"Putting do-gooders in their place."

"We're Team Rocket."

"In your face," the trio finished in unison.

"Wobbuffet."

"What do you guys want," Ash yelled to the three.

"We already have what we want," Jessie said as the robot lifted its arm, showing the captured Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Ash called out. Pikachu was struggling in the grip of the robot, even trying a few electric attacks, but nothing was working.

"Ha, you think you wouldn't have learned our lesson yet," Meowth taunted. "This thing is one hundred percent electricity proof."

"That's right, now, go Yanmega, show these twerps a thing or two," Jessie said.

"Go Carnivine," James called out. His large Venus flytrap like creature came out, and chomped down on his head. After struggling for a bit he was able to wrestle it off.

"Alright, if that's how you want it, go…huh," Ash was about to call out to one of his Pokémon, when Eevee ran in front of Ash. "You want do battle Eevee," Ash asked the Evolution Pokémon, who nodded in affirmation. "Alright then, use Shadow Ball."

"Yanmega, use Sonicboom ."

"Carnivine, use Bullet Seed." The three attacks all met in the center, causing a small explosion.

Soon after the smoke cleared, Ash called out to Eevee, "Use another Shadow Ball." Not expecting the attack, Team Rocket wasn't able to issue an attack fast enough, and their two Pokémon were sent flying backwards, crashing into their robot. The sudden movement caused the robot's grip on Pikachu to loosen, allowing it to free itself and run back to Ash. "Alright Pikachu send them flying, Thunderbolt." Pikachu shot out the large electric attack at the robot. The electricity consumed the robot and caused it to explode, sending the trio flying off into the air.

"Meowth I thought you said that robot was electricity proof," Jessie yelled as they flew through the air.

"Well, the hands were the only thing we could afford to insulate," Meowth confessed.

"Some things never change," James said.

"Just like this,"Meowth said.

"We're blasting off again," they yelled as they disappeared into a twinkle in the sky.

"Good job guys," Ash said to Eevee and Pikachu.

Over on the sides, Anabel, Brock and the old man were watching everything that had unfolded. "Wow, Ash sure does know how to handle himself," Anabel said.

"Well, after dealing with them for so long, I guess Ash just knows what he's doing," Brock said chuckling.

"Heh, well I am certainly impressed," the old man said. "The boy is a truly talented Pokémon Trainer. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go all the way."

"Yeah well enough of that, who wants lunch," Brock said, receiving nods from both parties. "Alright then," Brock said, then turned to Ash, "Ash time for lunch. You're cooking." Everyone began to laugh, except Ash that is. They all headed into the old man's house and Ash began to prepare some stew for lunch, under Brock's supervision. After lunch, and compliments on Ash's cooking, the group got ready to leave. They left the Day-Care waving back to the old man, and they were once again on the road. It wasn't long before the group made it out of the woods. They could see Saffron city in the distance.

While on the road, Anabel decided to check something, pulling out a Pokeball and releasing her Swablu. The bird was awake but it wasn't able fly quite yet so it just landed on the ground. "Hey there Swablu," she said to it. "I know I kind of just captured you without any kind of battle, but I hope you and I can work together. What do you say, will you join me," Anabel said smiling to Swablu. Swablu stared at Anabel for a short while. Ash and Brock were also watching, waiting for Swablu's response. Eventually Swablu chirped happily and hopped up onto Anabel's head and remaining perched there, sleeping again.

Ash and Brock were restraining themselves from laughing. Anabel did look a little silly with the cotton hat. "I guess I can take that as a yes," Anabel said, giggling a bit. So, after a slight distraction, the group continued toward Saffron. They entered the Security Booth, planning on just walking right through to the city. However, they hit a small problem.

"Excuse me sir," said the man behind the desk.

"Huh, me," Ash asked, pointing to himself.

"Yes," the guard answered. "I'm sorry to say this but I'm afraid I can't allow you to enter Saffron."

"Huh, why not," Ash said loudly, shocked that he was prohibited from entering.

"Sorry, I don't make the rules, I just follow them," the guard answered.

"Ah man, this is just great. How am I supposed to battle the Gym Leader if I can't enter the city," Ash asked no one in particular.

"Well if it's Gym Badges you're after you could always go to Vermillion. There's an Underground Path just outside of here that you can take. It will lead you right to Vermillion City," the guard told them. The group left in slightly lower spirits than they had entered. They really had been eager to get to Saffron, but they supposed that Vermillion was their next destination after Saffron anyway; it couldn't hurt to double back later. The Underground Path the guard spoke of was a large tunnel that went under Saffron, and didn't really have anything of note in it. So they just kept walking. Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, Brock on Ash's left, and Anabel on his right, with Swablu sleeping on her head, made it out of the Path in only a matter of two hours of silent travel. Ash was still a bit bummed about Saffron, but with the prospects of Vermillion, he soon forgot all about what had happened. After only a few more hours of travel, they had made it to the border of Vermillion. The Pokémon Center was just inside the city, and it was too late for a Gym match, so they decided to stay for the night and challenge the Gym the next day. They gave Nurse Joy their Pokémon, ate dinner, and got a room for the night. Before they went to bed, they were sitting in the lobby talking, when Nurse Joy came up to them.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, there is a phone call for a Brock," she said to them.

"Oh, Nurse Joy, for you I would take anything. A phone, a bullet, even a grenade. Please allow me to escort you to, erhg," Brock was cut out by a Poison Jab to his gut. Croagunk stood passively staring at Brock, before he started to drag him by the leg towards the phone section of the center. Ash and Anabel laughed lightly as Brock was dragged off.

"So, Ash, what can you say about this Gym," Anabel asked Ash.

"Hmm, well, Lt. Surge uses Electric-Type Pokémon. Last time I battled him, I fought his Raichu with Pikachu and was able to pull off a win even with the odds against me," Ash answered.

"Electric-Type huh, well I guess Swablu won't be entering this match," Anabel said. After a short while Brock returned from the phone, but he had a slightly nervous look on his face. "Hey, Brock, is there something wrong?"

"Uh, well, I need to return to home for a little while. Something has come up," Brock said to them. "Don't worry I'll be back, but I'm needed at home." Anabel was sensing a bit of discomfort from Brock but decided not speak up.

"Well if it's that important I guess we could—" Ash started to say.

"No Ash, I need to go alone," Brock said cutting him off. Ash was a bit shocked at Brock's harshness so Brock softened his voice and said, "Alright Ash, this isn't a big deal. I just need to get home quickly and then I can come right back with you guys. I even have it planned out. We can meet back up in Lavender Town. Sound good," Brock said smiling to his friends. Ash nodded. "Good, now I think it's time for bed so let's go." They all got up and went to the bedroom and got ready for bed, but Anabel was still worried about Brock. Something about him seemed off. She just pushed it aside, thinking he was just worried about what was going on at his home. They all got into bed, and went to sleep, ready for the day ahead.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods near Pewter City, the cloaked man was standing in a phone booth off the side of the road. He hung up the phone and stepped out of the booth, then turned to three other individuals, the Team Rocket Trio. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A group of insubordinates, that's what," the cloaked man said calmly.

"Please sir we'll do anything, just don't have us fired," Jessie pleaded.

"You won't be fired. No, you'll have a much worse punishment than that. For your failure to capture Pikachu all these years, you will be forced to work at desk jobs, until you earn back double what your schemes cost Team Rocket," the man told them. He then walked away, as the trio was left glued to their spots, unable to move after the news they had been given. _Excellent, everything is going according to plan. Soon all I'll have left to do is sit back and watch the domino's fall._ The cloaked man let out a light chuckle as he continued toward Pewter City. What are these man's intentions? Will Ash and company be able to thwart them? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

* * *

**And…Cut. Print, that's a wrap for today boys.**

**Well that's that. Yep, sure is…Oh okay I'll get to the news. Anyway, someone with half a brain may have noticed something missing like maybe cutting the events of episode eight through twelve (maybe thirteen if you think too much into it). Anyway, I know everyone only really cared about one of the original episodes being revisited but I'll give my exc—I mean my reason for why I cut them. One, for the life of me, I could think of reasons to visit most of the places. For the episode with AJ and Sandshrew, they left so…no point in going there. Damian, left the Pokémon Center that they stayed at with Charmander. The hidden village…well they could do the whole, hi-bye thing with Melody, but really what's the point. The Squirtle Squad isn't in the town anymore so, yeah. Oh and the School episode…Joe left but Giselle is still there…I couldn't think of anything OKAY. Second, anyone with encyclopedic knowledge of the original episodes may remember what route Ash said to take to get to Vermillion. The answer is Route 24, the route north of Cerulean, which doesn't lead to Vermillion (this is E-dub only, but still). And if you remember from last chapter, they left via the southern exit. I planned this so I could skip them. Third…I think I've made you wait long enough. I want to get to the shipping chapter as much as you guys. And yes it is the next chapter. Here's a little teaser for you: Chapter 15: Date Expectations. What do you think, to cliché? Meh.**

**Anyway, I would like to thank all of you who review last time. I know it was shorter than normal but I hope this makes up for it. Also, props go to, Lightningking532, for finding the Weekenders quote from last chapter. I'll be doing this form time to time when I feel like throwing in so obscure quotes. So try to find them (no quote this chapter sorry).**

**My final word, wish me luck. I'm going to my college orientation this weekend (you know, tours and placement tests and scholarship info). I'm sure that'll be fun. (gag me with a spoon)**

**So please review this chapter. Last time was good, but we can have better (not that I'm complaining, but the more the merrier as Ash always says). I promise to read each and every one of them. (I am staring at you).**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

Chapter 15: Date Expectations

The sun broke through the horizon, and shone on the water of the Vermillion harbor. A mist was rising off the ocean and the Wingull and Pelipper were starting to rise into the air, searching for an early breakfast. Vermillion City was still mostly silent, with not many of its residents awake yet. In the Pokémon Center, it was still dark and there was no one in the lobby. Everyone was still sleeping. Everyone except Brock. He had gotten up early so that he could leave early and get home before too long. He had finished packing his belongings and was creeping for the door, not wanting to wake his friends. The last thing he needed was a long goodbye; he had to get home as fast as possible. But as he was reaching for the door knob there was a sound behind him. Brock turned to see Pikachu looking at him with big eyes as if to ask why he was leaving without saying goodbye. "Don't worry Pikachu," Brock whispered, as he rubbed the small rodent's head. "I promise I'll be back, but I have to get going now. Look after Ash for me, he'll need all the help he can get." And with that Brock exited the room and walked out of the Pokémon Center, as Pikachu just drooped he ears and made his way back to Ash to get a little more sleep before it was time to get to work.

It hadn't taken Brock twenty minutes before he had made it to the eastern exit of Vermillion, and just outside of that was the Diglett's Cave, a long tunnel that connected Vermillion to Pewter. It was good for fast travel from one location to the next. This would be Brock's fastest route to Pewter City. The trip would only take him about two hours, but it seemed a lot longer, especially since he was travelling alone in the dark. All this left him was to contemplate what was happening at his home. _I hope everyone is okay. I'm probably just over reacting. But still this is rather suspicions, just being called by some stranger to head home immediately,_ Brock thought to himself. The uncertainty of the situation was making him worried. He wouldn't rest until he knew his family was safe. But he couldn't get the phone call out of his mind. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

* * *

Brock had just come around from a swift Poison Jab to the stomach and had found himself infront of the phones. He picked up the phone and the call was put though. But something strange happened. Instead of the face of someone appearing on the screen of the video phone, a black screen showed up with the words 'Audio Only' appearing in its place. Brock spoke up, but his voice was a bit shaky. "H-Hello."

The voice on the other end responded with a cold emotionless voice, "Why, hello Brock, so good to talk to you."

"Who is this," Brock called into the phone.

"Now, now, why would I go through the effort of concealing my identity if I was just going to tell you who I am," the voice called back. "But that's enough of that. I think it's time to discuss why I called you. I think it's time for you to return to your family for a few days," the voice was once again emotionless, but this time there was a slight inflection on the word 'family' that made the hairs on Brock's neck stand on end.

"What did you do to my family," Brock said, voice breaking a slight bit as he spoke.

"I haven't done anything to them. I just think you need a vacation," this time the voice seemed to have a slightly friendly allure to it. "But, I will say this, your family is waiting for you Brock. Don't keep them waiting," the voice said, trickling with laughter. "Oh, and let's keep this just between us. No need to get your friends involved in this," and then the voice faded into silence, and a dial tone was heard. Brock hung up the phone and headed back to his friends.

* * *

Brock put a hand to his head. He was giving himself a headache thinking about the whole situation. He had such little information, that all his theories were mere speculation. It was just the paranoia going to his head. He had been walking through the cave for a long time now, and the entire time his mind had been wondering to what could be happening at his home. Shaking his head, Brock decided to wait till he got home to worry; besides, the end of the tunnel was in sight. Brock made it out of the cave a little ahead of schedule, but still he made haste toward his home. The sun had completely risen and was a little ways in the sky. Once Brock was in town, he stopped by the Pokémon Center to get a grip on himself. He had his Pokéballs at the ready, and he himself was on full alert. He glanced at a clock on the wall. Nine Fifteen, just two hours after he had left Vermillion. He had made good time. His mind wandered to what Ash and Anabel might have been doing, but soon focused back on the task at hand. He walked to his house. Just as he was approaching the house, he crouched down and looked at the house. It was dark inside, like none of the lights were on. Brock walked slowly up to the door, nervously reached for the handle, and opened the door.

Inside the house was dark, with the only light coming from the open door. Brock walked slowly through the house, nervous of what could be here. It wasn't the dark that was worrying him, it was the silence. Brock's house was never quiet, with all of the children running around. Brock was making his way through the house, positive that once he rounded the next corner, he would find a tragedy had befell his family. But no such tragedy was seen. All Brock saw down the hall was a light, coming from the kitchen. Brock quickened his pace toward the light. He walked faster and faster toward the kitchen, anxious to see if everything was alright. He reached the kitchen door, pushed it open, and looked upon the scene that was taking place.

* * *

Back in Vermillion City, more people were awake now that the day had started. The city was busy, and the Pokémon Center was busy with customers. Back in the hall where the rooms were, two individuals were finally rolling out of bed, which was bad news for Ash, as he had chosen the top bunk to sleep. Landing flat on his back, Ash slowly sat up and stretched. Anabel wasn't up quite yet and Brock was…wait, where was Brock. Ash stood up and inspected his friend's bed, only to find a note left on the bed. Ash picked it up and read it, 'Hey Ash, sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but I had to get on my way. I promise to return as soon as I can. See you in Lavender, Brock.' Ash rubbed the back of his head, sighed, then went into the bathroom to prepare for the day. Once Ash was done in the bathroom, he walked out to see Anabel sitting up in her bed stretching. After she stretched, she let out a little yawn, which Ash gave a small smile too. He wasn't sure why, but he thought it was cute. Anabel stood up from her bed and turned to see Ash standing in the bathroom door, fully dressed for the day. With a quick smile Anabel greeted Ash for the morning, which Ash returned. Anabel then made her way into the bathroom to get ready herself. While she was in the bathroom Ash finished packing his belongings and was ready to walk out the door.

Anabel came out of the bathroom and packed her belongings, but then she noticed something missing. "Hey Ash, where's Brock," she asked Ash. Ash just gave her the note that he had found on Brock's bed. It took her only a second to read the short message, the turned back to Ash, "Oh, well I guess we should get our business done here, then we can head to Lavender Town as soon as possible," she said trying to comfort the boy.

"Yeah, your right," Ash said, perking right up. "We just have to work fast. Come on, if we work quickly we can be on our way by the end of the day."

"Uh, now let's not get too ambitious," Anabel said. "We should work at a decent pace but let's not run ourselves into the ground. If we get there too soon, we'll just have to wait in Lavender Town for him to arrive."

"Yeah I guess," Ash said. "Well, if you're ready, it's time for us to challenge the Gym.

"Right, let's go," Anabel said. The two of them, with Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulder, left the Pokémon Center and headed to the Vermillion City Gym. On the way, Anabel asked Ash some questions regarding the Gym. "So Ash, what type does this Gym use?"

"Electric-Type," Ash said simply. "Not only that, but he only uses one Pokémon in battle: Raichu."

"A Raichu," Anabel said, glancing up at Pikachu. "So who will you be using in the battle. You have two Ground-Types so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

"Yeah, but Pikachu was the Pokémon I used last time, and I know Pikachu will want to have a rematch, right buddy," Ash said to Pikachu. Pikachu pumped his fist into the air and had a determined look in his eyes. "Pikachu has always had a sort of rivalry with his evolved form. I guess he just wants to prove himself."

"Interesting," Anabel said. For a while she appeared to be in deep thought.

"So, who will you be using in this match," Ash said, breaking the silence and bringing Anabel back out of her trance like state.

"Oh, well I was actually thinking about using Ralts for this one, you know, going for an even playing field," Anabel said. "But if I can only use one Pokémon, I should probably just use Espeon to avoid losing."

Ash glanced over at Anabel with a questionable look on his face. "Why not go for Ralts. It would be good for it. Besides, you can't ride a team on only one Pokémon, you have to branch out. It won't get any better if you don't give it a chance."

Anabel looked at Ash, who was still looking at her, with eyes of respect and admiration for the boy. That is, until they both realized they had been staring at each other. Anabel blushed and turned away abruptly, while Ash just turned his head back to the road. "I-I guess I c-could let Ralts battle," she said, face still hot.

Ash just nodded his head and kept walking forward. It wasn't long before they came to the Gym. It hadn't changed since the last time Ash had seen it, with its large lightning bolts decorating the outside of the otherwise normal building. Ash reached for the handle to open the door, but no matter how hard he pulled, the door wouldn't budge. After some time of yanking on the door, Ash eventually gave up, seeing that his effort was being wasted. Discouraged, Ash suggested that they return to the Pokémon Center to see if Nurse Joy knew what was going on. They made haste back to the Center and walked up to the counter to see Nurse Joy. "Hello, How may I help you," Nurse Joy said with a smile on her face.

"Could you tell us what was going on at the Gym? The doors were locked," Ash explained.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that, had I known you were going to the Gym I would have explained it to you sooner. You see, although Lt. Surge is a Gym Leader, he is also in the military. Every once in a while, he's called back in to do some things, like training some of the new recruits or something along those lines. Don't worry though, he should be back any day now," Nurse Joy said, ending her explanation with a bow.

"Oh," was all Ash could say.

"Thank you for the information," Anabel said. "Come on Ash, we could always do something else." Ash nodded in defeat and the two of them walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Glad I could help," Nurse Joy called after them, still smiling. The two of them walked for a short while through the city before Anabel spoke up.

"Cheer up Ash, we'll be able to do the Gym Battle in a day or two," Anabel said.

"Yeah, but that puts us that much more behind getting to Lavender," Ash explained. Anabel tried to think of something to get Ash's mind off of the Gym. But Ash once again interrupted her thoughts, "Well, no use crying over spilt milk," Ash said, smiling once again, which in turn made Anabel smile as well. "If we can't have a Gym Battle, then I guess we'll just have to train so that when we can have a Gym Battle, we'll be ready."

"Alright, sounds good to me," Anabel said. The two of them walked to the end of town, until they came to a large open field. Anabel got out her Pokéballs to release her Pokémon, but Ash raised his hand to stop her.

"Anabel, I told you that training has two parts. The one is team sparring, which we covered yesterday. The second, is sort of like trust training. This is the training when you do practice battles with an opponent, not just paring up two Pokémon from your team," Ash said to her. "Now, since this Gym Battle is one on one, it would be best if we battled with the Pokémon we will be using. Sound good?"

"Yeah, but just one thing," Anabel said. "Do you think we could get some lunch before we start." Ash opened his mouth to say something, but his stomach beat him to it. "I'll take that as a yes," Anabel said, giggling.

"Yeah, yeah," Ash said, embarrassed. "Brock left some food for us," Ash said reaching into his pack. He pulled out a handkerchief, folded over on itself. Unfolding the handkerchief revealed sandwiches cut into triangles. "Here," Ash presented the sandwiches to Anabel, letting her have the first pick.

"Thank you," Anabel grabbed two of the sandwiches, leaving three for Ash. After taking a bite, Anabel fell into a state of delight. "Wow, Brock sure does know how to make a sandwich."

"Yeah, Brock is the best when it comes to cooking. Although he said I have a natural talent for it, I never really thought much about making food," Ash said as he devoured one of the sandwiches. "I only care about eating it."

"I can see that," Anabel said, finishing off her first sandwich. "So what are we going to do for dinner? Do you think you can handle making dinner?"

"Uh, do you think we could go out for dinner," Ash said, not wanting to cook dinner.

Unfortunately, Anabel misinterpreted this statement. _Go, out…with me_, she thought to herself, eyes going wide. _W-What do I do. Do I say yes, or do I play hard to get. I don't know what to say,_ Anabel thought, panicking.

"Uh, Anabel, you okay," Ash said, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

Anabel snapped back to reality. "Yes, I would love to go out you," Anabel said quickly. _Why did I say that? Oh no, what do I do now?_

"Okay cool," Ash said, unaware of what Anabel thought they were talking about. Ash turned back to his sandwich to finish his meal. Anabel just laid her head back on the grass, trying to calm herself down. Ash finished his last sandwich and the two of them were ready for their practice match. "Now remember, this is to work on your teamwork. It's all about trusting each other."

"Calm down Ash," Anabel said. "I'm not exactly an amateur. I think I can handle a battle."

"Alright, you ready Pikachu," Ash said. Pikachu ran in front of his trainer, ready for the match.

"Ralts, let's go," Anabel said as she released the Pokémon. Ralts came out and looked around, curious about what was going on. _Ralts, do you think you are ready for a battle._

'Yes, milady, I will fight for all I am worth,' Ralts responded.

"Alright, I'll start this off," Ash said. "Pikachu, let's begin with a Quick Attack."

_Ralts counter with Confusion,_ Anabel instructed. Pikachu rushed toward Ralts with lightning speed, but was cut short by a light pulse through his body. Ralts had stopped the attack before Pikachu could make contact.

"Alright, then we'll just have to go with ranged attacks. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt," Ash called out. Pikachu charged his body up with electricity until it was at max capacity, then released it toward the Emotion Pokémon. The attack was quick and Anabel was unable to direct a counter, and the attack struck Ralts dead on.

_Ralts, are you okay,_ Anabel was worried for her Pokémon.

'Never better,' Ralts said, standing back up.

_Wow, he seems really determined,_ Anabel thought to herself, not letting Ralts hear her. Then, opening her channel once again, _Alright then Ralts, use Confusion again._

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail," Ash commanded. Pikachu was about to charge its attack, but was interrupted by another pulse. Pikachu was lifted into the air and then slammed into the ground. Unfortunately, Ralts could only do this once. Pikachu rose back to its feet and rushed toward Ralts, tail charging. Pikachu leapt into the air and brought his tail down onto Ralts head. Pikachu landed a few yards in front of Ralts, who was griping his head. But then, a surge of sparks surrounded Pikachu. "Huh, paralysis," Ash questioned. "How did that happen?"

"Ralts' special ability, Trace, copies the ability of its opponent. In this case, Static," Anabel explained.

"I see. Alright then that won't stop us, Pikachu use Thunderbolt," Ash called out. Pikachu began to repeat his actions from earlier, but this time Pikachu couldn't finish the attack. Part way through, the paralysis acted up and Pikachu was left vulnerable.

_Alright Ralts this is your chance,_ Anabel was about to issue a command but was cut off. Ralts lifted its arms, and along with its arms rose a large amount of leaves. Then the leaves began to glow and they shot toward Pikachu, striking him with precision aim. _Wow, that was Magical Leaf. When did you learn that?_

'I guess it just came to me,' Ralts said.

"Wow that was a cool attack Anabel. But now it's my turn. Pikachu, try Thunderbolt again," Ash called out to the Mouse Pokémon. This time the attack went uninterrupted and struck Ralts once again, causing him to fall to the ground.

_Ralts,_ Anabel exclaimed. _Can you keep going?_ Ralts began to stand again, slowly. _Ralts come on, you can do it. I believe in you._ Ralts managed to stand to his feet just as Anabel was finished with her words of encouragement. Ralts began to glow a bright white, blinding everyone.

"Wow, Ralts is evolving," Ash said in shock.

Once the glow had subsided, a new form stood in the place of Ralts. The previous single red horn was now split into two. The previous appearance of a dress was replaced by a tutu looking design. Opening his eyes, and speaking up, he exclaimed, 'Kirlia.'

"I'm impressed," Ash said to Anabel. "Your Pokémon evolved right in the middle of battle."

_Congratulation Kirlia. Now let's finish this battle, _Anabel said to Kirlia.

'Of course, Madam. I will do whatever you command.'

"Yes, quite impressive," Ash said under his breath. "Too bad it came a bit too late." Then, raising the volume of his voice said, "Pikachu, finish this with Volt Tackle." Pikachu charged toward the newly evolved Pokémon. Once ready, he made an electrical beeline for his opponent. Ash bit his lower lip, worried that paralysis would rear its ugly head again. But it did not and Pikachu continued his charge.

_Kirlia, use Confusion to stop him again,_ Anabel commanded. Kirlia sent out a wave of Psychic energy, intending to stop Pikachu. But, even with the evolution, the attack wasn't strong enough to completely stop the attack. Pikachu struck Kirlia, who in turn fell to the ground, but this time he wasn't getting up. "Aw, and I thought I had you," Anabel said, speaking out loud again. "Oh well, it was still good training."

"You're not kidding," Ash said. "I thought you had us there. If that paralysis had acted up again, you probably would have won." Anabel, recalled her Pokémon, offering it words of encouragement. "Well, what do you want to do now?" Anabel just shrugged. "Well, why don't we go into town and find a place to eat for tonight, so that way we won't have to waste time picking tonight."

"Uh, sure I guess we could do that," Anabel said, blushing as she thought about the coming night. The two of them walked back into town, and began to look at all the different places to eat. "Wow, there are so many restaurants, how do we pick one."

"I have an idea," Ash said, digging in his bag. "You see, when we left Cerulean, May gave me this list of all the top restaurants in Kanto. She always loved gourmet food." Ash said as he pulled out a piece of paper. He looked down the list and then at the signs of all the restaurants, trying to match with those listed on the paper.

_She sure does come prepared,_ Anabel thought to herself.

"Ah-ha," Ash exclaimed. "What about that one."

Anabel's eyes followed to where Ash was pointing, to find the sign of a restaurant which read, "Entrailles de Poissons Grillés," Anabel said out loud. "Are you sure about this Ash, that name sounds a bit fishy to me."

"Of course it does, it's a seafood place. One of the best in Kanto I might add," Ash said.

"Well I guess it couldn't hurt," Anabel said, though she was still a bit skeptical. "Hey Ash, look at the sign in the window. It says formal wear only."

"Hmm, so it does," Ash said, just now noticing the sign. "Well that shouldn't be a problem. Now come on, we have some stuff to do."

"And what is that."

"Well, we have to shop for some supplies, so that we'll be ready to hit the road prepared," Ash said. "Not only that, we have to stop by the Pokémon Center to drop off our Pokémon. We have to be ready for when Lt. Surge returns."

"Sounds like good reasoning to me," Anabel said. _Wow, Ash can really be mature when he wants to be. I guess he isn't the fun loving kid I met at the Battle Tower. He really has become a real man._

"Hey Anabel, look, the PokéMart is having a sale on Bubble Soap. I'm going to get some, would you like one too."

_Well, I guess it can't hurt to have a little bit of a kid in you._ "Yeah, sure, why not," Anabel said, laughing under her breath.

After they had gone shopping, they returned to the Pokémon Center to get Pikachu and Kirlia healed. After their Pokémon were healed they returned to their room, as it was getting late in the afternoon. Ash and Anabel had decided to release their Pokémon into their room, at least, the ones that would fit, and behave themselves in their absence. In the end, the only ones not let out were Gible and Primeape. Ash was worried Gible would eat everything in the room and Primeape might go into one of his rages. "Well, that covers that," Ash said, releasing Eevee and Nincada. Anabel released Kirlia, Seedot, Swablu, and Espeon. Anabel thought that Espeon might be mad about being trapped in his Pokéball all day, but he had spent the entire day sleeping, so he was rather happy. "Well Anabel, it's only four thirty, what do you want to do till dinner."

"Hmm, I don't know," Anabel said, laying down on her bed. After thinking for a moment, Anabel got an idea. "Hey Ash, do you know how to play chess?"

"Chess," Ash said in a questioning tone. "No, I can't say I have. How do you play?"

"It's a board game based on out strategizing your opponent," Anabel explained. "Each different piece has a unique movement and you use this to capture other pieces and ultimately to trap the King."

"Sounds complicated," Ash said.

"Well, I can be. But once you get the hang of it, it can be really fun. If you'd like, I could teach you how to play," Anabel offered.

"I guess I could give it a shot," Ash said, willing to give anything a chance to take up time. As it so happened, Anabel had brought a travel chess set in her bag. She said she borrowed it from her uncle. After some explanations of each piece and how they moved, Ash and Anabel played a few rounds, with Anabel winning each match. The Pokémon either watched or tried to sleep. Ash and Anabel played until they had decided to get ready for the night, although Anabel demanded Ash change in the public bathroom, saying that she need privacy to get ready. Ash conceded, not seeing it as that big of a deal. After all it was just dinner. After finishing getting changed, Ash waited outside the door for Anabel to say he could come back in. It was a lengthy wait but eventually, Anabel called for him to come in. Ash opened the door and walked back into the room. Ash saw Anabel standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a light purple, shin length dress. The dress had a small bow tied around its waste, and it had small sleeves. Anabel wore a pair of matching open-toed flats on her feet. While Ash was observing the sight, Anabel was also overwhelmed. Ash was wearing a black tux, with an open jacket and a grey vest underneath that. He was also wearing a white ascot around his neck, and he was wearing white gloves on his hands. "Uh, wow Anabel," Ash finally managed to say. "You look, uh, really nice." Ash turned his eyes away and scratched his head, not really sure if he should say anything else.

"T-Thank you," Anabel squeaked, blushing profusely. "Uh, you look nice too. Where did you get a tuxedo anyway?"

"Well I competed in the Wallace Cup over in Sinnoh. I just kept the outfit with me, should I ever need it again. It came with a hat but I really didn't think it was a good idea to wear a hat indoors at a fancy restaurant."

"Well, I guess we should get going," Anabel said, walking out the door and past Ash. As she passed by Ash caught the faint scent of flowers in the air. Ash just shook his head, said good-bye to the Pokémon, and left to catch up to Anabel. The walk to the restaurant wasn't very long, and they had arrived at the front door. Ash opened the door and allowed Anabel to enter first. They walked up to a man standing behind a podium, and asked about getting some seats.

"Hmm," the man said, as if he had just now noticed them. "Let's see, ah yes we have a few seats available. Is a window seat alright with you?" Ash and Anabel both nodded and then man grabbed two menus and lead them over to a seat by the window, overlooking the ocean. "Ah, here we are, two seats for the young couple."

"C-Couple," Anabel said loudly.

"Sir, I think you're a little confused. We're just friends," Ash explained.

"Oh, riiight," the man said. "Well then, I'll leave you two friends to get comfortable. Your waiter should be here soon." And the man left to return to the front of the restaurant to tend to other patrons.

"He seemed nice," Ash said.

"Yeah, I guess," Anabel said, still flustered about the 'couple' comment. The two of them sat down and picked up their menus and began to look at what they had to offer. Soon the waiter came up and took their drink orders, with Ash getting sweet tea and Anabel just getting water. Soon the waiter returned with their drinks ready to take their orders.

"Well, I think I'll have the Lobster Tail, with the shrimp on the side and a baked potato," Ash said to the waiter, who quickly wrote the order down and turned to Anabel.

"I'll have the Grilled Salmon, with a side of rice and green beans," Anabel said. The waiter took the orders back into the kitchen, leaving Ash and Anabel to themselves again. They chatted idly for a while until the food came out. Ash received a large Lobster Tail, doused in Butter and some spices. It also had shrimp aligned in a circle around a dish of cocktail sauce, and a large baked potato covered with butter and cheese. Anabel's plate had a large cut of Salmon on a bed of white rice, with a bowl of green beans on the side of the plate. The two of them marveled at the plates for a little while, before the two of them began to dig in. It was a while again after they got their food that they began to talk again.

"I know I could have beaten you in that last game," Ash said, referring to their chess games.

"Yeah right," Anabel said confidently. "It'll take you a bit longer before you're able to beat me." _I say that now, but he was actually really good. I almost didn't believe he hadn't played before. He certainly has a knack for strategy._

"Then I'll just have to get better," Ash said nonchalantly, finishing off his Lobster and beginning on his potato. They two of them continued to enjoy their meal, with a bit of chit-chat between bites. After they were done eating, the waiter brought them the bill. "Wow, that's a lot of numbers," Ash said. Ash stood up and walked over to the cash register area, which was out of Anabel's line of vision.

_I wonder how much it cost,_ Anabel thought to herself while she waited for Ash's return. _I wonder what the Pokémon are up too_. Anabel then envisioned a scene with all the Pokémon trashing the room. She abruptly shook her head. _No need think like that. I'm sure everything's fine._ Soon Ash returned from paying, and the two of them walked out of the restaurant. They walked back towards the Pokémon Center, until Ash said something unexpected.

"Hey, do you want to take a walk down by the port," Ash suggested.

"Uh, sure," Anabel said, a little shocked that Ash would suggest that.

They changed their direction to walk toward the ocean. While they were in the restaurant, the sun had set and it was very dark outside, with only the streetlights lighting the road. It was a short walk to the port, and the two of them walked along the cement beach, the sound of waves crashing against it surrounding them. It was here that Ash spoke up. "Anabel, I want to ask you a question," Ash said. Then, without waiting for a response continued, "What do you want to do with your life? What do you have planned for the future?"

"The future," Anabel repeated. After much thought Anabel spoke up, "Well, I always wanted to find that special someone, settle down, have a family. But with my life, I never really had such an opportunity, so I gave those thoughts up long ago. Now, I just take the future in stride, letting the future make its own decisions. What about you Ash, what are your plans?"

Ash stopped walking and turned to face the ocean. The dark sky blended into the ocean at the horizon, causing a sort of endless void effect into the distance. "I used to know exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be the very best Pokémon Trainer in the world. But recently, there has been something different about everything. I never once thought about a life with someone. I just thought I would travel until the end of time. But a lot of people have been talking about the future, and that it's best spent with someone. I don't know, I guess I just wanted to get it off my chest you know." Anabel nodded slowly, eyes wide, hanging onto Ash's every word. "Thanks for listening Anabel," Ash said, turning back to face her with a warm smile. "I had a great time tonight."

"I did too," Anabel said. "Thank you very much."

_I've always been uncaring to female affection, _Ash thought still looking at Anabel, thinking back to all the girls in his past. How he could have pursued any one of them, but chose not to. _Maybe…It's time I change that._ And with an action that surprised both Anabel and even Ash himself, he reached out and pulled Anabel into a light embrace.

**To Be Continued **

**Just Awesome. Yep, I ended the chapter there. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out what happens.**

**So, I was going to have this out yesterday (looks at clock) ahem, two days ago, but some emergency came up. Oh well, nothing too important. So yeah, lots of loose ends in this chapter, from Brock to…other things. Anyway, how did I do? I was practicing my suspense writing at the beginning there. Tell me, was it any good. Also how was the romance, did I write it well or was it to rushed. Go ahead, tell me, I can take it. Oh, and don't get too on me about the food. The thoughts of people eating Pokémon just seemed to grim to me, so I used real food (And for those of you wondering, the restaurant was named "Roasted Fish Guts". I used Google translator to convert it to French, since I always think of France when i think fine dining. To those of you who know French, if i butchered it, please forgive me, I used the only source available to me). Also, chess is the ultimate, don't you dare mock it.**

**I want to know, asking you regular reviewers. If this hadn't been Abilityshipping, would you have liked this story anyway? I know, weird question. It's just that, I don't like seeing stories that have lots of reviews simply because someone choose a mainstream paring (i.e. Poke, Advance, Pearl etc.). But I want to know if there are those of you who only read this because its Ability, not because you like the story (not that you don't like the story, just that, had you found this and it not be Ability, would you still follow it). Heavy question, but I'm just curious.**

**Also side note to those who care. Recently, Owl City a.k.a. Adam Young recently released his new CD, All Thing Bright and Beautiful. So to commemorate the occasion, I want to hear opinions. What do you think of Owl City as a whole, good or bad? Just curious.**

**Well with all the questions, I hope to see lots of reviews, I'm looking at you person who reads but doesn't review. Stare…**

**Oh, right please review. I'm excited about this chapter, and if you liked it tell me. Tell me in one word or in one thousand words. I don't care how long. I always read reviews, promise.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokémon.**

Chapter 16: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunder

The full moon was high in the night sky, glimmering off of the ocean. It was well past midnight and the inhabitants of Vermillion City had all gone to bed, save for two individuals. Ash and Anabel were laying down on a small, sandy beach they had found at the end of the docks. They made their way down the side of the dock and walked across the beach. It wasn't large but it was still enough for two people to have plenty of room. Earlier in the night they had decided to come here tomorrow for training, if Lt. Surge hadn't returned yet that is. But now that it was so late the two of them were laying down in the sand, staring at the moon, telling stories. Ash told most of the stories, mostly all from his many travels, but Anabel had a few tales to tell. At the current moment, though, they were just lying there, silently listening to the waves lapping at the shore. It was Anabel who first broke this silence. "Hey, Ash," Anabel said. Ash tilted his head toward Anabel to signify he was listening. "I was wondering if you could tell me about your family," she asked the boy.

Ash thought about the question for a moment. "Well, there isn't much to tell. I lived with my mom till I was ten. My dad left our family when I was young, swearing he would become a Pokémon Master. We haven't seen him since. Other than that I don't know of any more family I may have," Ash answered. "What about your family?"

"Heh, well," Anabel started. "My mom died in childbirth. Her being the main provider of the family, the government wouldn't let my dad raise me. Instead of sending me to an orphanage, he had me sent to my mom's parents, where I grew up. Uncle Steven also lived with us. I had an okay childhood, and when Uncle Steven left to live on his own, he took me with him, to live in Hoenn. It was here that Scott found me and invited me to be a Frontier Brain. And the rest is history," Anabel said. "Sorry to be such a downer," she added to the end, giggling slightly.

"Don't worry about it," Ash said. There was a slight pause as they returned to their silence.

"Hey Ash, tell me about your mom," Anabel said, yawning slightly at the end.

"My mom? Well, she," Ash paused, unsure how to continue. "She's the best mom ever," he finally decided on. "She's always there for me, and always has the best advice. She may nag a bit at times, but only because she loves me. She always supports me in my decisions, even if that means leaving home. She knows I'll always come back to her," Ash said, wearing a large grin on his face thinking about his mom. "You know, I can call her if you want to meet her…Anabel? ...Hello?" Ash sat up and looked over at Anabel. She had fallen asleep lying on the sand listening to Ash speak. Ash rubbed the back of his head and smiled, looking back into the sky. Though he was smiling, his eyes had a hint of sadness in them. Ash just shook his head and turned back to Anabel. "I think it's time to turn for the night," he whispered to himself. Reaching over, Ash effortlessly lifted Anabel off the ground. As he was lifting her, the scent of flowers returned from earlier. Looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms, put with the scent, made Ash blush slightly, something he didn't do often. "Time to go," Ash whispered.

Ash was making his through the empty streets toward the Pokémon Center, Anabel still in his arms. She would occasionally shift in her sleep, which Ash just passed off as her trying to get comfortable. He wasn't totally accurate. Inside of Anabel's subconscious, a familiar scenario was playing out. The darkness was once again surrounding her, as she was looking around. Just like last time, Anabel was able to make out a person walking off into the distance. Before she knew it, she was once again running after the person escaping into the horizon. Again, she eventually collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion. A hand grabbed her shoulder, and though she was expecting it, it still startled her. Looking back, she saw the cloaked man she had seen so many times before. The cloak fell to the ground into a pile of darkness. She knew what would happen if she tried to grab it, but she still reached for it and the ground shook and began to open up beneath her. But, just as she was about to fall, she was grabbed by the arm. She remained still, being held over the abyss by her arms. She glanced up to see who had saved her. There, hanging over the edge of the crevice, was her rescuer: Ash.

Ash had made it back to the Pokémon Center, and glanced down again. He saw that she had a smile on her face. _Must be having a good dream_, he thought to himself. Well, he wasn't totally accurate. Ash made his way down the hallway and came to their door and was met with a small dilemma: how to open doors while holding girls. He was eventually and miraculously able to get his key from his pocket, put it into the lock, turn it and open the door, all without dropping Anabel. But all his effort almost went to waste when he saw the inside of the room. The room was totally wrecked, with everything from clothes to toothpaste flung all over the room. Plus, all the Pokémon were sleeping all over the room. The only clean spot in the room was at the center, which was occupied by two Pokémon. Pikachu and Espeon were sitting in the middle of the room, apparently playing chess. From the worried look on Pikachu's face, he was losing. But when Ash opened the door, the two Pokémon looked up at the door, then around the room, then pointed paws at the other, as if to blame the mess on them. Ash just sighed; glad he hadn't forgotten himself and dropped his cargo. He made his way carefully through the room, trying not to step on anything, or anyone, and when he arrived at Anabel's bed, he carefully laid her down. Once she was down on the bed, she rolled onto her side to get comfortable. _I guess it won't hurt the dress to sleep in it. After all, she did lay in the sand with it,_ Ash thought to himself. He grabbed a tank-top and a pair of larger-than-normal boxers and headed into the bathroom.

After a few moments, Ash exited the bathroom, dressed for rest. As he was walking to his bed, once again dodging everything on the floor, he glance over to Anabel, making sure she was still asleep. She was indeed, and Espeon had decided to claim his spot next to her. Ash laughed at the sight, until something caught his eye. _Well, no need to sleep with shoes on_, Ash thought when he saw that Anabel was still wearing her shoes. Ever careful, Ash able to slip the shoes of her, but as he did so, he couldn't help but notice a slight chuckle escape from Anabel. _Sounds like someone is a bit ticklish_, Ash thought, then filed the thought to the back of his brain. Climbing into the top bunk of his bed, Ash tried to go to sleep himself, which he accomplished with relative ease. Pikachu jumped up next to Ash and went to sleep as well.

* * *

Ash sat up and stretched as the sun shone through the window in their room. He opened his eyes slowly, and he immediately wished he hadn't. He instantly remembered the mess that had apparently been made the previous night while they were out to dinner. Ash rubbed his face and looked around the room again. He had to get it cleaned up before they could leave. No maid service in the Pokémon Center. Ash started at the beginning, recalling all the Pokémon, except Pikachu and Espeon, most of which were still asleep around the room. The only one that was hard to find was Nincada, who was buried under a mass of clothes. Ash also noticed that this was the same place that he had left Nincada the previous night. Once the Pokémon were out of the way, Ash began to gather all the stuff all over the room into two piles: one of Anabel's stuff and one of Ash's. Midway through, Anabel woke up as well. After having to answer a few questions, Ash told Anabel what had happened to the room. The two of them finished sorting, and began to fill their packs with their belongings. Once the room looked livable again, they took turns for the bathroom and once they were all ready, they left the room, headed for the cafeteria.

Once they had ordered they sat in peace as they ate. But during the meal, Nurse Joy walked up to them. "Good Morning."

"Good Morning Nurse Joy," Anabel said, and Ash nodded as he shoved more food down his gullet.

"I just thought I should tell you that I received a call from Lt. Surge. He said he will be returning this afternoon," Nurse Joy said, smiling.

"Awesome," Ash said, finishing his meal just as she finished her announcement. Nurse Joy just smiled and turned to return to the front desk.

Anabel just smiled, happy Ash was enjoying his meal. But then her mind began to wander. _I wonder if Ash remembers anything from last night. Does it mean anything, or was it just two friends hanging out on the beach. Should I ask him? Nah, that sounds too desperate. Maybe if I drop a hint. But he would never pick it up. This is too hard._

"Hey, Anabel are you ready to go," Ash asked. No answer. "Anabel, are you listening?" No answer. Ash stood up and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hey, are you in there?" Anabel finally acknowledged Ash's presence, but not in a good way. When she realized how close Ash's hand was, she backed up quickly; quickly enough to send the chair to the ground, with her in it. "Are you alright," Ash asked.

"Peachy," Anabel said, rubbing the back of her head. She looked up to see Ash with hand extended toward her, offering to help her up. She smiled and blushed as she grabbed his hand and stood up. "Thanks," She said, trying to cool down.

"Hey, what are friends for," Ash said, picking the chair up also.

"Friends," Anabel said, with a slight bit of distress in her voice. Of course Ash couldn't sense it.

"Yeah, we're friends right," Ash said, laughing slightly at the absurdity of the question.

_We are so far from where I want to be right now_, Anabel thought to herself. "Of course," Anabel responded, also laughing.

"Well, you ready to go," Ash asked. Anabel nodded and the two of them left the Pokémon Center, waving goodbye to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy, who had seen the whole scene in the cafeteria, waved them off. Then, she crossed her arms and looked like she was deep in thought. "That Ash, I guess he really knows how to pick up chicks," she said. Then chuckling, said, "Oh, that's a good one. I need to write that one down." And with that, she picked up a pad and pencil and wrote down her corny one-liner.

* * *

Ash and Anabel had made it back to the beach they had been on last night. Like they had said, they came here for some training. They had decided on sparring for today. "Well, since Pikachu and Kirlia will be the ones in the Gym Battle today, they should spar with each other. Gible, I want you to fight with Espeon," Ash said, issuing orders like normal. Anabel didn't mind Ash doing it since he seemed to know what he was doing.

'You want me,' Espeon said, 'to fight THAT.' Espeon looked over to the spaced out land shark.

'Grr, Gible hungry. Gible want eat.'

_Espeon,_ Anabel said in that motherly tone that said that if you don't do what your told, you'll be in trouble.

Espeon just rolled his eyes. 'Fine, I'll fight him. But I won't like it.'

"Primeape, see what you can do with Nincada," Ash continued, unaware of the conversation taking place. "Seedot, you can battle with Swablu. Well that's everybody," Ash said.

"Wait, what about Eevee," Anabel asked.

"Well, we don't have an even number, so someone has to sit out," Ash said.

"Well, why not let Seedot sit out and let Eevee get in on the action," Anabel countered.

"Because Eevee's only attack can't hurt Swablu. How about next time I promise to involve Eevee?"

"Well alright," Anabel caved.

Ash smiled. "Alright everyone, it's time to start so let's go." Everyone, save for a few party poopers, gave out a cheer and broke into their groups. Kirlia and Pikachu left and began to work hard, knowing the imminent battle approaching. Both gave their all, Pikachu knowing Raichu waited just around the corner, and Kirlia so he could prove himself to Anabel. Gible and Espeon had a long stare down, until Espeon got bored and picked up the small dragon and threw him into the woods behind the beach. Feeling satisfied, Espeon laid down for a nap. Primeape just walked over to Nincada, picked him up, and walked into the woods. Seedot was shaking in this shell as he stared off against the bird Pokémon. Swablu just called out happily, increasing in volume until it reached an unbearable volume, knocking Seedot off his feet. It was about then that a bunch of red balls of light flew out of the forest and struck a certain napping cat. Everyone looked over for a moment to see one angry Espeon charging into the woods toward what everyone assumed was Gible. A few moments later Gible came flying out of the woods, breaking through some of the trees on his exit, and landing in the ocean. Espeon returned not a moment later, tail glowing silver. Gible resurfaced, fist glowing white. The two charged at each other, attacking each other fervently.

"Well at least you got Espeon to train for once," Anabel said giggling.

"I thought those two would make a good combo," Ash said, walking over to where Anabel was sitting under a tree. Ash pulled his hat over his eyes, attempting to take a nap himself. But suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind. He couldn't shake it, so he decided to voice it and get past it. "Hey Anabel, I was wondering. What was your childhood like?"

Anabel stared incredulously at Ash. "Well that came right out of left field."

"Sorry, I was just wondering is all."

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with telling you," Anabel said. "Well, my grandparents were really old-fashioned. They lived in Ecruteak City, so I guess it was to be expected. So I was raised on fine dining lessons and high class etiquette. I wore a different dress every day and went to classes to learn how a woman of high society acts."

"Wow, you must have hated that."

"Actually, believe it or not, I really did enjoy it. Not only that but I wore my hair really long too. I would always have to go to these fancy parties my grandparents held and I would have to dance with every boy there, just like Uncle Steven had to dance with every girl. But, when Uncle Steven moved to Hoenn and asked if I wanted to go, I said yes for some reason. My grandparents were thrilled with the idea too. So when we got there, I thought that everything would be the same as it was in Johto. But it wasn't. Hoenn was just so much more technologically advanced that I decided to change my appearance. I cut my hair and changed my wardrobe to fit with everyone so I wouldn't look so out of place. It was right around then that I was about to start my own journey. It was then that my dad sent me an Eevee. Although we couldn't live together, we still kept contact. He would give me presents every year on my birthday and on Christmas. Uncle Steven also gave my one of his Beldam. Just I was about to leave on my journey, Uncle Steven asked me if I would meet with one of his colleagues. That would be Scott. Apparently, Uncle Steven was talking about my special ability and Scott got interested. When I met him, he talked about some project he called the 'Battle Frontier'. He said if I was interested in joining as one of his 'Frontier Brains.' I told him I was unsure, so he left me his number and said to call once I made up my mind. Eventually I, obviously, came to the decision on joining and I was sent off to a training camp with some of the other brains. Scott gave me an Abra and then I spent the next few years training with all the other Brains."

"Interesting," Ash said, contemplating what Anabel had said. "I thought you said you never trained Pokémon before."

"It wasn't Pokémon training. It was business training. You know, like paperwork and maintenance. It was really boring."

"Sounds like it," Ash said, turning to watch the Pokémon spar.

"Well Ash, I told you my childhood. Why don't you tell me yours?"

"My childhood didn't really have anything interesting happen. I just grew up your average everyday kid," Ash said. "Well, from the looks of it, the sparing is over."

"Yeah," Anabel said, irked at Ash's pathetic cop out. But it was true, everyone seemed finished. Kirlia and Pikachu looked exhausted as they tried to push themselves harder. Primeape had returned from the woods, still carrying Nincada. Primeape dropped the bug onto the ground and then sat down beside him. Seedot was sitting next to an unconscious Swablu. As it turns out, he had used Bide and was able to knockout the bird, who used nothing but Uproar. But the really interesting turn of events was the outcome of Espeon and Gible's match. Gible was happily sitting in a tree, while Espeon sulked alone. Anabel walked over to the defeated Psychic-type. _You okay?_

'That dragon had better sleep with one eye open,' Espeon said, venom dripping from his words.

_Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad. So you lost one match, big deal. You lost a match to Pikachu._

'Pikachu is a worthy adversary. That beast isn't even fit to walk this planet. He attacked me in my sleep!'

_You shouldn't have been sleeping anyway. This just shows that you need to train just like everyone else._

'Oh sure, side with your boyfriend's Pokémon.'

_W-What, Ash is not my boyfriend._

'But you wish he was. I know, I can read you like a book.'

_When did this become an attack on my character?_

'Let's just end this, I grow bored of your excuses.' Espeon stood up and recalled himself into his Pokéball.

Anabel pulled the ball off her waste and yelled at it, "This isn't over, you hear me."

"Uh, Anabel, why are you yelling at your Pokéball," Ash asked.

Anabel quickly turned around quickly to see that Ash had already recalled the Pokémon. "It's just Espeon. He was upset because he lost to Gible."

"Oh, is that all. Don't worry about that too much. Next time, we'll let them have a rematch."

"Do you think that will solve the problem?"

"Either that, or make everything worse."

"Great, just what we need."

"Oh, I'm kidding. Besides, I'm sure it was just a fluke," Ash said. "Now c'mon, it's time for lunch." Anabel smiled and the two of them walked back to the Pokémon Center for lunch.

* * *

Lunch went by relatively quickly, and the two of them were ready to leave. They went to the counter and picked up their Pokémon. But as they were leaving, a thought struck Ash. "Oh, I wanted to call my mom. Be right back." And Ash was off, running to the phones. Anabel stared after him for a moment, and slowly followed after him. Ash dialed his home phone and waited for his mom to answer. It wasn't long before the face of his mother appeared on the screen. "Hi mom."

"Ash dear, it's so good to see you. How has it been going?"

"It's been going good. I'm in Vermillion City, waiting to challenge the Gym."

"I see. Are you there with anyone?" Delia asked, a sly look on her face.

"Well, Brock would be here, but he had an errand to run so he had to leave."

"Oh, and is Brock the only one your traveling with."

"Well there is someone else. Would you like to meet them?"

"Of course!"

Ash stepped out of the booth and popped his head into the booth next to it. "You can stop hiding now. Would you like to meet my mom?"

Anabel blushed at how easily she had been caught. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Next time you hide, make sure you're completely hidden," Ash said, pointing down. Anabel looked down to see that the booths didn't have bottoms and you could see the legs of a person sitting next to you.

"I would love to meet you mother," Anabel said, trying to change the subject quickly. She walked around the booth and was able to see Ash's mother on the screen of the phone. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Ketchum. My name is Anabel."

"My, how formal," Delia said, smiling. "Well the pleasure is all mine. I trust you've been keeping an eye on my son. He can be a bit reckless at times."

"Mom," Ash exclaimed.

"Oh, calm down dear, I'm just poking fun. Well, this has been fun, but I have to be somewhere this afternoon. It was nice meeting you Anabel. And Ash, behave yourself," once Delia finished the screen went black.

"What do you think she meant by that," Anabel asked.

"I'd rather not think about it," Ash answered. "Well, I guess we had better get going; can't be late for the Gym Battle," and Ash was on his way once again.

"Ash, we don't even know if he's back yet," Anabel called after him. Sighing, she just tried to catch up to him. It took no time at all for the two of them to arrive at the front door of the Gym. Flexing his hand, Ash reached for the door, in hopes it would open this time. He grasped the handle, and pulled. Nothing. Depressed, Ash hung his head. "Um, Ash, I think that this is a push door."

"What makes you think that?"

"The sign that says 'push'," Anabel said, pointing. Ash followed to where she was pointing and saw the sign.

"Why would they put handles on a push door?"

"Don't know."

Ash put his hands up on the door and pushed. The two doors swung open. Smiling, Ash stepped back, letting Anabel enter first. The two of them walked into the Gym, which was mostly dark. Out of the darkness stepped two individuals, a male and a female. "What are you here for," the male asked.

"We're here for a Gym Battle," Anabel said.

"Hey Boss, someone's here for a Battle," the female called into the darkness.

"What! I've been back for five minutes and I already have a challenger," a voice called out. Anabel could tell from the accent that he wasn't from around here. "Fine, fine, I'm coming." Out of the darkness came the large figure of a man. He was at least seven feet tall, maybe even more. He was dressed in all dark green, with his vest open to reveal his chest. He also wore gloves that were missing the fingers. "Well well well," Lt. Surge said, breaking Anabel's inspection of the opponent. "I didn't know my challenger was such a cutie," Lt. Surge bent over, dragging Anabel into a hug.

"Boss, you have to stop doing that, we can't afford another lawsuit," the male trainer whined.

"Oh would you stop wor—" Lt. Surge said, stopping midway through his sentence and falling to the floor gripping his stomach.

"Try that again, and I may have to aim lower," Anabel said, glaring at the man on the ground.

_Odd, she didn't do that when I hugged her last night,_ Ash thought to himself. "Hey Lt. Surge," Ash said out loud. "Long time no see."

Surge had recovered from the punch to his stomach and was standing again. "Hm, who was that," Lt. Surge said glancing around, eyes lanading on the person who had stayed back the whole time. "Hey is that you Ash, what are you doing here."

"I'm here for a rematch."

"Heh, alright then, step up to the plate and let's see what you got."

"Not so fast," Anabel said, glaring at Surge. "I get the first swing."

Surge stepped back sweating slightly. "Sure thing," was all he could say before turning to go to his corner.

"I've never seen the boss so jittery," the male trainer said.

"You know what they say about a woman scorned. Now come on, your refereeing," the female explained. She walked into the darkness and flipped a switch, turning on the lights to the Gym.

Once the two of them were in position, Anabel and Lt. Surge got ready to release their Pokémon. Ash was sitting on the side lines, with all his Pokémon out. Primeape was sitting on the floor, looking as if he was meditating. Nincada was sitting next to him looking…well…like he was just sitting there. Gible had fallen asleep almost immediately. Eevee was sitting on Ash's lap, purring. Pikachu was sitting next to Ash on the bleachers, eyes focused on the battlefield, intent on learning all he could about his opponent. "Alright Raichu, let's do this," Surge called out. Raichu appeared on the field, arms crossed and smirking.

"Let's go Kirlia," Anabel called out. Kirlia came out, did a few spins and finished by point his hand at his opponent. _Kirlia?_

'Yes, Milady?'

_Kill him._

'Of course Madam.'

'Ha, big talk from a girl,' Raichu said, trying to get in some pre-battle banter.

'I'm a boy, you uncultured buffoon.'

'Says the guy wearing a tutu.'

'This is a symbol of my species natural grace and charm. How dare you mock it.'

'Blah, blah, blah are we going to do this or not.'

'Gladly.'

_Alright, let's start with Confusion, _Anabel instructed her Pokémon.

"Raichu let's get going with a mega punch," Surge ordered. Raichu began to lumber forward, charging his fist. Kirlia was able to stop the Pokémon in its tracks. Lifting the Pokémon, Kirlia was able to throw Raichu against the back wall. "Oh, a psychic," Lt. Surge said, sounding impressed. "Then this should be fun; just like battling Sabrina. Now Raichu, give them the Thunderbolt."

_Kirlia, block with Magical Leaf._ Raichu focused his electrical energy and began to fire it toward Kirlia. The latter of which was busy summoning a hoard of leaves, which were glowing a rainbow color. Thrusting them forward, Kirlia was able to deflect most of the attack onto the leaves, though some of it did make it through.

"Don't give them a moment of rest. Quick use Hyper Beam," Surge was quickly issuing orders again.

_If that hits this is all over. _Raichu shot out the powerful energy beam. _Kirlia, use Teleport to get out of there._ Kirlia was able to vanish just before the beam hit him. Taking advantage of the fatigue caused by Hyper Beam, Anabel was back on the ball. _Kirlia, use Confusion to pick him up._ Kirlia followed the order, suspending the Pokémon in the air. _Now, use continuous Magical Leaf attacks until he frees himself._ Kirlia summoned more leaves, relentlessly beating Raichu until he was done recharging, finishing the attack by throwing him into the ground.

Raichu laid on the ground without moving. "Don't think you've won just yet," Lt. Surge said, just as Raichu was stanging back up, although he looked very tired.

_Not good. They seem to have the stamina to keep going even after everything we've hit them with. Although we haven't been hit by much, Psychic-types aren't exactly known for their excellent defenses. We have to end this or we'll be toast,_ Anabel was busy analyzing the situation, trying to find a way to counter whatever came next.

"Alright Raichu, Mega Punch and Thunderbolt, let's do this," Lt. Surge commanded. Raichu ran toward Kirlia, fist drawn back, while he was charging his electrical energy.

_If this hits, it's all over. Kirlia, use Magical Leaf. Hit him before he hits you_. Kirlia shot out the leaves once again as a last ditch effort to end the battle. The leaves hit their marks, causing a small dust cloud around the running Raichu. But out of the dust, Raichu was still running, for a little while. He took a few steps out, and fell onto his face.

"Winner, Anabel," the referee called.

"Alright, way to go Kirlia," Anabel cheered for her Pokémon.

'Anything for you Milady,' Kirlia said, before collapsing as well.

"You deserve a nice long rest," Anabel said, recalling her Pokémon. On the side lines, Ash had recalled all his Pokémon once the match was called, and was walking over to Anabel.

"Good job, although he almost had you there," Ash said.

"He never stood a chance," Anabel said, glaring at the Gym Leader. Surge just flinched and headed into the back room of the Gym.

"He'll be back in a minute, he just has to get ready for the next match," the female trainer said.

"We keep telling him to keep more Pokémon on hand, but no, he only uses one," the male said bitterly.

"Right, thank you," Ash said to the two Gym Trainers. "So Anabel, what's with the angry glaring?

"I want to make sure he doesn't try to hug me ever again," Anabel said.

"You didn't react this way last night?"

At the mention of last night, Anabel nearly exploded. _That's right, Ash hugged me. _"Well this is different, your my friend, he's a total stranger. Anyway good luck with your match," Anabel said quickly, trying to get away quickly to calm down herself down. She walked over to the bleachers and released her three remaining Pokémon to cheer for Ash. Seedot danced around for a bit before sitting down to watch. He was almost getting used to all the violence of his new life. Espeon curled up and went to sleep, ego still in pain from earlier. Swablu flew around happily until finally landing on top of Anabel's head and going to sleep. Ash just laughed at the sight. Ash waited a few more minutes before Surge returned, Raichu at his side.

"It's amazing what those healing machines can do for your Pokémon," Lt. Surge said, laughing. "Now Ash, I hope you'll give me a battle to remember."

"I wouldn't give anything less," Ash said back to him. "Alright Pikachu, this is it. You ready?

'I was born ready,' Pikachu said, pumping his fist into the air, then running to the center of the ring, facing off against Raichu.

'Welcome back to the Garden of Madness,' Raichu said as Pikachu ran up to him.

'Madness? This is Sparta,' Pikachu retorted.

'I see you've been training,' Raichu said. 'I'll be happy to knock it out of you.'

_I don't think I have any idea of what they are talking about,_ Anabel thought to herself from the side lines.

'You should try playing chess with him,' Espeon said.

"Enough stalling, Raichu, let's start this one big. Zap Cannon," Lt. Surge called out to Raichu. Raichu jumped into the air, bringing his arms behind him, charging the powerful attack.

"Pikachu, hit it back with Iron Tail," Ash ordered. Pikachu charged his tail, and waited for the attack to arrive.

Raichu finished charging the attack and unleashed it. 'HADOKEN.'

The ball of energy flew toward Pikachu, right on course. Pikachu swung his tail, striking the ball and sending it back at the airborne Pokémon. 'Rejected.'

The attack struck Raichu, doing minor damage, but paralyzing him in the process. "Ah well, it was a gamble anyway. Raichu, use Thunderbolt," Surge said to his Pokémon. Raichu shot out his electricity toward his opponent.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge," Ash called out. Pikachu was able to dodge the attack with relative ease.

'What, no creative witticism this time,' Raichu said to Pikachu.

'I could say the same for you,' Pikachu retorted.

'Sorry I'm not e**quip**ped enough for this battle.'

'And for that, you deserve to be** pun**ished.'

"Raichu, use Mega Punch."

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle."

Raichu drew his fist back, running toward Pikachu. He ran until was practically on top of him, powering up his attack. But just as he was about to swing, Pikachu started running, dodging the attack completely. Running around the field, Pikachu was circling back to attack Raichu. "Raichu, get out of there," Surge called out. But just then, the paralysis started to act up, freezing Raichu in his tracks. He had no choice but to watch as Pikachu got closer and closer.

'You're too slow,' Pikachu yelled out, running right into Raichu, sending him flying into a wall for the second time that day. Raichu laid there, not able to get up.

"Winner, Ash," the referee called out. "Weird, that was shorter than I thought it would be."

"Eh, maybe it's better that way," the female trainer said.

With all the Pokémon recalled and Pikachu resting on Ash's shoulder, Ash and Anabel met Surge in the middle of the field. "Well, you two have earned these," he said, holding up two Thunderbadges. They took them from him, and Ash did his normal victory pose, while Anabel just rolled her eyes and put the badge away. "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to finish unpacking." Lt. Surge headed back into the back room. Shrugging their shoulders, Ash and Anabel left the gym.

"Wow, we must have been in there for a long time," Ash said, noting the position of the sun. "Why don't we go have some dinner at the Pokémon Center, and then we can turn in. I don't know about you, but I feel really tired after all that." Anabel nodded in agreement, slumping forward slightly." And then tomorrow, we start on our way to Lavender." The plans were made, and the two of them were happy with it. But plans don't always work out right. Will things be okay? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

**Well that was fun…and now my fingers hurt…the joys of inspiration. Anyway thanks for reading. And I am absolutely awful at Battles. Huzzah!**

**First things first…sorry, about the whole Raichu vs. Pikachu fight. It was something that I had planned for a while, but now that I put on paper, it seems more stupid…but I still got a kick out of it. So I'm saying this now, I know it was stupid, so please don't tell me…unless you really want to. Also, in the original Anime, there were no handles on the Gym doors. I added them for hilarity factor. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Something with squinty eyes…nope drawing a blank. Also, in question of the relationship shared by Ash and Anabel, right now, Ash feels that Anabel is a really good friend (more than all his other companions) but he still doesn't feel the love tonight. I threw a large amount of character development in this one, so I hope you enjoyed reading some of my theories. And thanks to of you who answered my questions. It made me happy. **

**Normally, I would say something like 'name the this reference and get props.' But there are too many in this chapter sorry. You can try to name all the references in the chapter and if you get every one of them I will give you props. Is it fair…no…deal with it. Was that a little mean?**

**Also, for inquiring minds, I have finally, after eleven months of being a member, uploaded a profile. Now you all read about me, and then get mad at me for having an opinion. Also, two things: one, it was uploaded in rough draft form, so there are a lot of errors. It should be fixed sometime within the year…two, the humor section is really not important. It has no valuable information, so if you want to skip it go ahead, but if you have the time and you feel like having a good laugh, go ahead and read it.**

**So, it's time again for me to beg for reviews. I loved all the reviews on the last chapter, and let's make this one even better. I read every review and love every minute of it. And that's the word.**

**Sincerely Yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I will never own Pokémon.**

Chapter 17: Simply Atrocious

The sun was high in the cloudless sky, signifying the approach of lunchtime. Ash and Anabel had gotten up early that morning so they could get a good start on Lavender Town. It was normally a two day trip, but Ash was determined to get there in one. After a rushed breakfast, the two of them headed out to Route 11, with Ash practically running and Anabel trying to keep up. But it wasn't long before they ran into some of the people working, training, and relaxing along the route. Ash was almost immediately in a battle with one of the kids training. After that, Ash and Anabel took turns battling, which took up the majority of the morning. Now that it was about time for lunch and the two of them had stopped in the resting booth in between Routes 11 and 12. They were sitting up on the second level, eating the lunch they had taken with them from the Vermillion Pokémon Center. "I can't believe how easy some of those battles were," Anabel said between bites from her sandwich.

"Well, not everyone has what it takes to be a trainer," Ash said. "I remember when I first started my journey, I was traveling along with Brock and Misty, and I was challenging Trainers left and right. I was up to ten straight wins in no time. But then, we came across this training facility of this kid named AJ. He didn't even break a sweat during the battle. Even though I could beat all those other trainers, I couldn't beat him."

"I see," said Anabel. "I guess it's just who has more training. We have been training for years, but some of those kids look like they have been trainers for only a few months."

"Well yeah, training helps too," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. He had left out the part where AJ already had ninety-eight wins before he had challenged him. Ash and Anabel finished eating their lunch and they walked over to the window facing Lavender Town. "You see that," Ash said, pointing to a large spire off in the distance. "That's Pokémon Tower, I went there a long time ago, searching for a Ghost-Type to beat Sabrina. Wow, that sure does bring back some good memories," Ash said, still looking at the building in the distance. Then, turning to Anabel, said, "When we get there, I'll have to introduce you to some friends of mine."

"Well, any friends of yours are friends of mine," Anabel said, remembering the experience she had with Misty. "I'm sure it will be a pleasant experience."

"Haha, yeah, but it'll be more of an out-of-body experience," Ash said, laughing. Anabel just tilted her head in confusion. Ash just turned and walked toward the stairs. "Come on, we don't want to keep Brock waiting." Anabel just rolled her eyes and followed Ash down the stairs. When they got to the first floor, they walked to the doors that would lead to Route 12, and ultimately, Lavender Town.

"Hey, hold up you two," a voice called out from behind them. "You don't plan on going on Route 12 do you?" Ash and Anabel turned to see that it was the man behind the desk.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said to the man.

"Well I wouldn't. There's been talk of a monster attacking people on that bridge," the guard explained. Ash and Anabel just stared at the man and then turned to walk back out the door. "Don't ignore me," the guard yelled after them.

"Don't you think it's a little unlikely that a monster is attacking people," Anabel asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense for a Pokémon to be attacking people? And if that is the case, I'm sure we can handle ourselves."

"Fine, suit yourselves," the guard said. "It's your funeral," he added under his breath.

They made their way along the short grassy path that led to the main path of Route 12, a long wooden bridge. The bridge was simple, with just a bunch of planks nailed together. It didn't even have a rail along the edges. "You think what that guy said was true. About something attacking people I mean," Anabel asked, second guessing her confidence now that she saw how open the area was.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it," Ash said, hands behind his head. Ash wasn't really worried. Any problems they ran into, he was sure he could handle.

Anabel, however, wasn't as sure about the situation. And worrying wasn't helping anything. If she wasn't calm, her empathic ability wouldn't pick up emotions if something was coming their way. Just as she was convincing herself of these facts, some bubbles from the water caught her eye. She stopped walking to inspect what the source could have been. Bad idea. Just as she bent over the water, part of the bridge began to creak, and just like that, part of the bridge collapsed into the water, sending Anabel into it. Turning around at the sound of breaking wood, Ash was able to see Anabel flying into the water face first. Pausing for only a moment, Ash dove down onto his stomach, chest hanging over the broken part of the bridge, searching the water for where Anabel might pop up. After waiting a few more moments, Ash began to fear the worst. Standing up again, Ash ripped off his hat, jacket, shoes, and socks as fast as he could, and dove into the water. Pikachu stood at the edge looking very worried for his trainer and for Anabel too.

Ash swam deeper into the water searching for where Anabel might be. As he looked around, he could have sworn he saw a large shadow swimming through the water, but even if he did, it was too large to be a person. It wasn't long before Ash hit the bottom, floating near the pile of wood that had broken off the bridge. Ash's first thought was something about how most wood floats, but such thought dissipated when he spied Anabel lying on the bottom, one of her legs caught under the pile of wood. Working quickly, Ash swam over to her, working his hands under the wood and lifting with all his might. Once her leg was no longer pinned, Anabel's body began to float upwards slightly. Once her leg was out from under the wood, Ash let go and grabbed Anabel, swimming for the surface as fast as he could. Once he broke through the water's surface, he grabbed the edge of the bridge pulling them both up onto it.

Laying Anabel down, Ash was beginning to panic. Anabel was unconscious and showed no signs of waking up soon. Ash was going through his very limited knowledge of first aid. Once time in Sinnoh, Brock had taught Dawn and him a few simple first aid procedures, in case of emergencies. Ash could only recall one way to help a drowned Pokémon, and he hoped it worked for people too. Tilting Anabel's head back, and plugging her nose, Ash looked down at the unconscious form before him. No time for second guessing now; Ash bent over and began to perform mouth-to-mouth CPR. It took two or three tries, but eventually, Anabel began to cough up all the water in her lungs. Sighing in relief, Ash fell back onto his back. A few moments later, Anabel began to stir, sitting up and putting her hand to her head. "Hey, are you okay," Ash asked.

"I think so," Anabel said. "What happened?"

"You nearly drowned after that chunk of the bridge broke," Ash explained.

Anabel looked back at the hole in the bridge. All she was able to say was, "Drown?" Then she looked over at Ash to see that he was also soaked, realizing that Ash had rescued her from a watery grave. _Wait, DROWN. Then that must mean,_ Anabel thought, eyes widening and subconsciously biting her lower lip.

"Yeah, I was really scared there for a while," Ash said. "But you pulled through. I'm just glad Brock taught me CPR, otherwise you might not have."

Anabel turned her head away, "CPR, you mean like, mouth-to-mouth." She blushed slightly, closing her eyes and biting her lip again.

"Yeah, like that." Anabel's eyes popped open, as her hair stood on end just as a shiver went down her body. Her face was as red as a fresh tamato berry. The thought of Ash giving the kiss of life was almost unbearable. Her only regret was that she wasn't awake for it.

"I see," Anabel said, still facing away. "Thank you very much, Ash. I guess I owe you my life."

"Don't worry about it," Ash said waving his hand dismissively. Stretching, Ash stood up, offering his hand to help Anabel stand up. "C'mon, we have to get you to a proper place to rest." Anabel nodded, her face finally back to a normal hue. She stood up, but when she took a step, her ankle buckled under her and she fell forward against Ash. "Whoa," Ash exclaimed as he caught the falling girl.

"Ah, my ankle," Anabel said, grimacing at the pain she was feeling.

"I was worried about that," Ash said. "Your leg was trapped under some wood, so it makes sense that something may have happened." Ash grabbed Anabel around the shoulders and tried to balance her. "Think you can stand on one foot for a moment." Anabel nodded and stood there on one leg, trying to keep her injured foot off the ground. Ash turned around and squatted down. "Alright, get on," Ash said simply. Anabel went wide eyed again, not sure what to do or say. Knowing she couldn't just stand there, and hopping to Lavender was out of the question, she complied, lying her body down on his back. Ash swung his arms back, grabbing her by the back of the knee, as she put her arms around his neck. Ash stood up, and took off down the bridge, with Pikachu hot on his heels. They had to get to Lavender Town as fast as possible. But, there was still one more hurdle for them to jump.

* * *

Ash was still making good time, even with the extra baggage he was carrying. Pikachu had given up on running and found a resting place on top of Anabel's head. "Why does everyone think my head is a pillow?"

'It's so soft,' Pikachu said. Anabel just rolled her eyes. The group kept going and they could even see the entrance to the town. But just then, a rumbling sound could be heard from the water.

"Uh, what was that," Anabel said, gripping Ash harder.

"I don't know," Ash said eyeing the water. Ash kept walking along cautiously, keeping his eyes open for anything that may be coming. And then it hit; a large serpent like figure burst forth from the surface of the water. As the mist cleared from the sudden spout of water, a large yellow beam struck the bridge. "Gyarados," Ash said, recognizing the silhouette in the mist. The beast swam forward out of the mist to show himself. Jumping in front of Ash, Pikachu took a battle stance, cheeks sparking. Gyarados just roared at the small mouse. "Alright if it's a fight you want, Pikachu use Thunderbolt," Ash said. Pikachu shot out the electricity toward the large serpent. Gyarados roared in pain as the bolt struck his head. But it wouldn't stop him for long. Once the attack was finished, Gyarados turned back toward them, and released a massive flow of water. "Dodge and use Quick Attack to get on its head." Pikachu was in the air, sailing over the Hydro Pump, and grabbed one of Gyarados's head spikes. "Now, Thunderbolt." Concentrating, Pikachu released as much electricity as it's little body allowed. But it proved useless. "Wow, that thing is really strong."

"No, kidding. I don't think we should stick around much longer," Anabel said.

"Right," Ash said nodding. "Pikachu, let's go." The yellow mouse jumped from Gyarados's head landing on the bridge and took off after Ash. "We just have to make it to Lavender, it can't follow us into town." Ash sounded confident, but Gyarados was neck and neck with them, occasionally shooting off an attack that would only miss by a small margin.

"I don't know Ash, it looks angry. Maybe we should stop and fight it again, maybe use a different strategy," Anabel said, worried if one of the attacks were to actually hit.

"We could at least try to slow it down. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again," Ash said. Pikachu sent out another bolt of electricity. This time, the attack show signs of actual damage, slowing Gyarados down slightly. "Hey, this brings back memories doesn't it," Ash said.

Anabel recalled the first time they had met, and they were attacked by a Gyarados. Only the other time, she was able to calm the raging Pokémon down with her empathic powers, but this Gyarados didn't seem like it could be calmed down. "Yeah, and let's hope the end is just as happy."

"Heh, right. Pikachu, Thunderbolt again," Ash said. This time, when the attack hit, Gyarados stopped entirely, panting heavily as it hung its head. But it seemed to get its second wind, charging ahead of them again. It released a Hydro Pump at them, striking just behind them. But the impact of the attack sent them flying forward, and causing Ash to let go of Anabel who flew a few feet farther than Ash and Pikachu. Looking up, Anabel saw Gyarados poised above her, teeth bared and covered in ice; an Ice Fang attack. Putting her arms above her head, Anabel prepared for the worst.

But all that happened was she felt something hard hit her head then land in front of her. Opening her eyes, Anabel saw a Pokéball lying before her shaking back and forth. Eventually, the ball clicked, signifying a successful capture. Looking over at Ash she saw the boy laying on his stomach, arm thrust out and a look of relief on his face. "Wow, you've saved my life twice in one day," Anabel said, astonished.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. If I didn't help you, what kind of friend would I be," Ash said. Standing up, Ash walked over to Anabel, an exhausted Pikachu on his shoulder. He picked up the Pokéball that contained the raging Gyarados. He placed the ball on his belt, and turned to face Anabel."Now, come on, we have to get to town," Ash said helping Anabel stand again. In only a few moments, they were once again on their way to Lavender Town. They could distinctly make out the entrance now.

It was practically nighttime when they arrived at Lavender town. Ash headed straight for the Pokémon Center, hoping they could help Anabel. Nurse Joy greeted them from the desk, bowing as they entered. Looking up at who had entered, she gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Before her stood a boy who was soaking wet and breathing hard, carrying a girl who was also soaked, with a Pikachu collapsed on the girls head. "Oh, my, what happened," Nurse Joy said, eyes wide. Ash was about to say something but was cut off. "Well, you can explain later. First we better see to your friend," Nurse Joy said, calling for a stretcher. Soon, two Chansey's appeared carrying a stretcher. Handing over Anabel, the two Pokémon took the girl into the back, followed by Nurse Joy who was carrying Pikachu. Ash just meandered over to a chair and sat down. He was tired from all that had happened that day. Pulling out a Pokéball, Ash began to think what he was going to do with the Gyarados he had captured.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's Lab. "Hm…oh, it looks like Ash is sending me a Pokémon. I can't wait to see what it is this time."

* * *

Ash was walking back to the lobby, dusting his hands off, as he walked away from the phones in the Center. In the middle of the lobby, Ash was stopped by Nurse Joy, who had come back from the back room. "I'm happy to say that the girl will be just fine," Nurse Joy said smiling. "Her ankle was just out of joint is all. She should be walking around in just a little while. If you want, I can take the rest of your Pokémon." Ash nodded and handed her his Pokémon. Ash sat down again, waiting for Anabel to be released. It was two hours before Anabel exited from the back, limping slightly.

"Hey, are you okay," Ash asked, standing abruptly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Anabel said, smiling. She was just glad Ash was able to get by okay. If he had hurt himself saving her, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. "So, you ready for dinner."

Suddenly realizing how long it had been since he had eaten, Ash turned to run to the cafeteria. But, remembering Anabel's predicament, Ash slowed his pace to allow Anabel to keep up. They ate their dinner in peace, both of them tired from all the day's excitement. It wasn't until near the end of the meal that they realized they had forgotten something. "I guess Brock isn't here," Ash said.

"I told you," Anabel said. "If we rushed here, we would arrive way too early." Ash just hung his head in shame. Finishing their meal, the two of them left to go pick up their Pokémon and get a room for the night. But as they entered the main lobby, the doors opened up, revealing an all too familiar face; Brock. Ash and Anabel had looks of shock on their faces. Ash, because of the fact that they had just finished talking about how Brock wasn't there and now here he was. Anabel, because of the person standing beside Brock, talking up a storm it seemed. The person was dressed in a large black cloak, with the hood pulled up, covering his face. What was Brock doing with the cloaked man? Stay tuned to find out.

To Be Continued

**Chapter was launched successfully. Anyway, shorter chapter because I wanted to end on this cliffhanger. I could include more, but I wanted to leave that for next time.**

**Next time is a telling of Brocks adventure while gone on business. Well this chapter was good in my opinion. I liked the CPR scene, did you? Oh and yes Ash will not be using Gyarados. It will act sort of like Muk, which Ash caught and then immediately sent to Prof. Oak. I'm looking forward to the next chapter, it has a lot of plot.**

**I want to do something out of the ordinary here. In the reviews last time, I got a question that was a bit unusual. I don't normally answer questions but I'll make an exception this time. 'Character development' is when the author explains about a characters background (like when I was explaining past events). It could also be when you first introduce a character and are explaining how they look, or their behavior and mannerisms. Hope this helps (you can thank me in the reviews; I know who you are).**

**Anyway, I have one more announcement. I'll be starting to write a second story. Now don't panic, I won't neglect this story. A friend of mine suggested I should write another story so I could cover more bases as a writer. But I have a slight dilemma; I can't decide which story to write. I have narrowed it down to two of them but I'm not crazy enough to write three stories at a time. I have my future works posted on my profile, if you have the time, please check them out and tell me which one you like the best (If you could even list them one through four of which on you like best to the one you like least, that would be even more helpful). I would greatly appreciate that. If you don't think I should tackle a second project, you can tell me that too. **

**Well, I really am glad I got so many reviews. And I hope to get more this time. I read all of them and take them all to heart, so leave a review, it really helps my self-esteem.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I'm sorry, the number you are trying to reach is distracted by shiny things. Please hang up and read the chapter.**

Chapter 18: Guys and Ghosts

Brock drew closer to the Pokémon Center, followed by the man in the cloak he had met in Pewter City. He had invited himself to accompany Brock. Brock was glad that he had arrived at his destination so that he could get rid of the man. Something about him seemed odd. _Just a few more feet,_ Brock thought to himself, _and I'll be able to leave this terrible experience behind._ Brock reached for the door and opened it. Walking through, the cloaked man continued the story he was telling. Brock had caught a few words. Something about a cave in the ocean that held the key to some ancient legend. Brock had stopped listening to this man a long time ago. You could see the look of relief on his face when he spotted his friends. Brock rushed over to them, as they rushed toward him, and they met in the middle. Ash and Brock shared a friendly handshake, both smiling widely. "It's so good to see you guys."

"It's good to see you too Brock," Ash said. "Oh, and look, we both got Thunder Badges from Lt. Surge." Ash showed off his badge to his close friend. Anabel smiled and showed off her badge as well.

"That's great you guys. I'm sorry I had to miss it," Brock said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sorry I missed it as well. I always love a good Gym Battle," the man in the cloak said. Brock cringed as the man walked up to them. Anabel bit her bottom lip, worried if the man was dangerous or not. She had run into him a number of times, it couldn't just be coincidence. Ash just looked at the man and blinked a few times. "Oh, how rude of me; allow me to introduce myself. I am…uh," the cloaked man stopped abruptly. "Nice to meet you." The cloaked man reached his hand out to Ash for a handshake. Ash slowly took it and shook the man's hand.

"Uh, my name is Ash," Ash stumbled his words out, remembering his manners. "Have we met before?" Ash stared into the man's hood. He only seemed a slight bit taller than Ash. For a second he could see the faintest glimpse of the man's eyes. They looked like they were glowing blue.

"Maybe, I can't keep track of everyone I meet."

"And I'm Anabel," she said suddenly. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't."

Brock intervened for a moment. "I've just been calling him CG; it stands for cloaked guy."

"So you don't have a name," Anabel asked, skeptical of this 'CG' person.

"Well I do; I'm just in the middle of a game. You see, I've recently become the Gym Leader in Viridian City, so I've also become the center of attention for the media. So I thought of this fun game and see how long I could keep my identity from the reporters. So far so good."

"You're the new Gym Leader," Ash said, perking up. "Then I challenge you to a battle."

"Haha, eager aren't you. But I don't have the time right now. In fact I have to leave right away. Business in Fuchsia City. Well Brock, it's been fun but I have to get going," the cloaked man turned and walked to the doors of the Pokémon Center. Ash hung his head in disappointment, Brock sighed in relief to see him leave, but Anabel kept staring after him.

_Something about him doesn't seem right. But I just can't put my finger on it_, Anabel stared at his fleeting form. Then it hit her; she concentrated on him, just to affirm her suspicions. _I-I can't read his emotions. It's like he's blocking me out._ The cloaked man turned his head around so that he could see her. Anabel flinched and turned away, not sure what to think of this person who kept turning up.

"So Brock how was your trip," Ash said suddenly.

"Well, it certainly was interesting. Let's go get something to eat and I'll tell you about it." They all went into the cafeteria and Brock got himself some dinner, since Ash and Anabel had already eaten. After he had made some decent progress on his meal, he began to tell the story of his trip. "So when I arrived home, all the lights were off and it was quiet, which is weird for my house. I made my way to the back of the house where the kitchen is and saw a light coming from the door, so I opened the door and…"

* * *

**Flashback**

Brock looked into the kitchen to see quite an unusual sight. There was his mom, just sitting at the table, sipping what looked like a cup of tea, and listening to the person sitting across from her. The person also had a cup of tea, but what was odd was the large cloak covering his body and head. The sound of the door caught the attention of the two, and they turned to see who was there. "Oh, Brock," Lola, Brock's mother said when she saw her son. "I didn't expect you so soon."

"I told you I would get him here," the man in the cloak said sipping more of his tea.

"Well you certainly did. Anyway, Brock I'm glad you could get here on such short notice, but he said it was important," Lola said to her son. "So I'll leave you two alone for a moment."

Brock waited till his mother was out of the room before talking to the man in the cloak. He talked cautiously, but if his family thought he was okay, he could be trusted; at least for now. "Alright, I'm here. What do you want?"

"Oh, touchy," the man said chuckling. "Well first, I should tell you why I'm here. Have you ever heard of the Gym Rankings?" Brock shook his head. "Well, Gym Rankings are sort of like where you stand in the eyes of the League. If you have a low ranking, then the League sees it as you as being a weak Gym Leader, and if your ranking falls too low, your Gym closes. Normally, ranking is determined by a win/loss ratio: the more wins you have than losses, the more the League see's you as worth keeping. If a Leader is continually losing, then he isn't really challenging trainers very well. Now before you get worried, Pewter is ranked sixth so there really isn't anything for you to worry about right now.

"So you called me over here to tell me something that isn't even important."

"Not quite. Another way to determine ranking is for the League to hold a tournament of the Leaders. But only two people are allowed to call for such a tournament: the current Champion, and the Leader ranked number one. In case you didn't know, I'm the Leader of the Viridian Gym, which is currently ranked number one. What I'm trying to say is that you need to prepare yourself, since I've already set the tournament up with the League. It'll be held right after the Indigo Plateau Conference."

"But I'm not the Gym Leader anymore. Shouldn't you be telling my little brother all this?"

"Well you see, the requirements for being Gym Leader are that they have to be ten years old and handy with Pokémon. But these tournaments have stricter terms. Since the original League didn't see ten year olds leading Gyms. In order to participate, you have to be at least sixteen and have been Gym Leader for two years. Your brother doesn't fall under either. Also, your father said that you should be the one to do it. One final thing I have to say, you'll be asked to attend a training camp one month before the tournament."

"And if I chose not to participate, then the Gym gets shut down." The cloaked man nodded. "Fine, then I guess I'll participate. But, I have a few questions for you. First of all, why did you call me over here, you could have just told me over the phone."

"I felt it was a bit more professional to tell you in person, plus, you'd get to see your family."

"Speaking of which, where is the rest of my family?"

"Probably watching the Gym Battle; my apprentice is battling your brother and they all headed out to the Gym."

"One last question: you never told me your name."

"That's not a question. Well we had better get going."

"Uh, we?"

"Yeah, we. You're headed to Lavender right. Well I have to head that way too. The leader of Fuchsia needs a similar talk to what I gave you. Most of the Gym Leaders have a backup Leader in case something happens, but in yours and Fuchsia's case, the backups are the ones that qualify."

"Isn't there a faster way to Fuchsia?"

"Eh, I like taking the scenic route. The more the merrier I always say." Brock was taken aback by the statement. After a while he caught himself staring and turned away.

"Uh…Sorry, you just reminded me of someone when you said that."

"I get that a lot. Well Brock, I'm glad I could talk to you about this. We should get on our way; wouldn't want to keep your friends waiting."

* * *

**Back to present**

"So we started off toward Cerulean. As it turns out, his apprentice is that boy, Gold. Once we got to Cerulean he challenged the Gym. After answering a few questions from Misty, the battle started and Gold won pretty quickly. Then, CG, which is actually the name Gold gave him, not me, told Gold to travel down Route Five and battle all the Gyms he could before meeting up in Fuchsia. So from there it was just me and him. And from Cerulean all the way to the front door of this Pokémon Center, I swear he didn't stop talking," Brock sighed and slouched in his chair, having finished his dinner.

"So does that mean you'll be leaving again," Ash asked his friend.

"Not for a while. About a month before the Pokémon League Conference is when I'll have to go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed," Brock stood up and walked to the counter and got a room for the night. Ash and Anabel just stared after their squinty eyed friend.

"I guess we should get to bed too," Anabel said standing.

"Not quite yet," Ash said, also standing. "I want to introduce you to those friends of mine."

"Isn't it kind of late for visiting?"

"Nah, these guys are night owls anyway. This is the perfect time to drop in on them." Ash walked out of the cafeteria and subsequently the Pokémon Center, Pikachu riding his shoulder, followed by a curious Anabel. They walked through the roads of the dark city until they came to a large tower. "This is Pokémon Tower," Ash told Anabel who was looking the building up and down.

_What kind of people would live in a place like this?_ "It's very…uh…interesting," Anabel said, trying not to sound rude. Smiling, Ash led the way into the creepy looking tower. Taking in the surrounding, Anabel saw that the place was designed like an old mansion, filled with weird furniture and a creepy chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly she got a chill down her spine. She turned to see if anyone was behind her, but there was no one there. _I must be going crazy_, she thought to herself turning back to where Ash was standing. Only, he wasn't there anymore. "Uh Ash, where are you?" Turning her head back and forth she tried to spot Ash standing somewhere.

"Boo," a voice said behind her, startling her and causing her to yell out. She turned around to see Ash and Pikachu laughing as they lay on the floor.

Blushing from embarrassment, Anabel yelled, "Ash, what was that for. Do you even have friends here or did you just bring me here to scare me."

Wiping a tear from his eye, Ash said, "Alright guys, c'mon out, jokes over." From the floor, two purple beings rose. One was a Gengar, a large purple Ghost-Type who also shared traits with the Poison-Type. The other was a gaseous ball called Gastly, who was the first form of Gengar. They were also laughing at Anabel's reaction. "Anabel, meet my friends, Gengar and Gastly. They like to play practical jokes on people, but they're not bad."

"Ghost-Types, huh," Anabel said. "Well that answers one question, yet raises so many others."

"Hey Gengar, do you think you guys could do the same thing you did last time?" Gengar just looked at Ash like it didn't know what it was talking about. Then, as if suddenly coming to a revelation, it rubbed its hands together and grabbed ahold of Ash and Anabel's heads and pulled. Meanwhile on the floor, Gastly consumed Pikachu in a fog. Ash and Anabel floated in the air above the floor, where their bodies lay, motionless. From Gastly's fog, Pikachu also emerged from his body.

"W-W-What happened," Anabel said in a panic.

"No time to waste, c'mon," Ash said as he grabbed ahold of Anabel's hand and pulled her straight for the wall. She screamed as it looked like they were going to crash, but after they passed through said wall, she blinked a couple times and looked back at the wall they just went through. Pikachu emerged from the wall as well, soon followed by Gastly and Gengar. "No need to be worried," Ash said to Anabel, causing her to return her attention back to Ash. It was then that she realized that he was holding her hand, causing her to blush once again.

"I wasn't worried," Anabel said.

"So is that why you were screaming," Ash said chuckling. A moment later, Ash slowed to a stop and pulled Anabel up to float beside him. "It sure is beautiful, isn't it," Ash said, staring forward.

Anabel looked at Ash and then followed his gaze. "Oh, wow," she said, eyes growing wide. Before them was Lavender Town, all lit up at night, just like a postcard.

Ash looked at Anabel, who was still staring at the city. Her face was lit up by the lights of the city, and even though it was blue and slightly translucent, he couldn't help but blush slightly. "Yeah, beautiful," Ash said, smiling to himself. "Hey Anabel," he said, diverting her attention from the city. But before he could finish his statement, Pikachu came flying up followed by the Ghost Pokémon. Laughing, Ash turned back to Anabel, "Race you back to Pokémon Tower," he said, flying off.

"Hey, no fair, you got a head start," Anabel called after him, also laughing. The two of them travelled as fast as they could, racing back to the tower. Once it came into sight, they flew even faster. The race ended in a tie, both of them reaching the building at the same time. Laughing as they descended back into their bodies, they laid on the floor, continuing to laugh. In a few moments, Pikachu flew into the room, flying like a balloon that was inflated and then let go. Eventually, he made it back into his body. Sitting up, Pikachu rubbed his head as his eyes spun around. "Well Ash, despite first impressions, I'd have to say your friends are pretty cool."

"I told you," Ash said, finally standing to his feet and stretching. Gengar and Gastly flew into the room, laughing their ghoulish laughter. They flew in circles around Anabel, causing her to start laughing. "Well guys it's been fun, but we have to go." The two ghosts stopped laughing and drooped down to the floor. "Now none of that; we have a lot to do and we need to sleep," Ash tried to reason with them, but they just started crying, fountains of tears flowing from their eyes. "Come on guys, we promise to visit again," Ash said to them. Gengar floated over to them with tears still in his eyes. Suddenly, he stuck his tongue out, which held a small round bomb.

* * *

"Well that was an explosive exit," Anabel said, wiping her face off which was smeared with black soot. They were on their way back to the Pokémon Center after Gengar had decided to pull one last prank.

"I'm just glad they were understanding about the whole situation," Ash said to her. They continued to walk along the path to the Center for a while before it came into view. The lights were still on and they could see a few people through the windows. Entering the building, they both walked up and asked Nurse Joy which room Brock was staying in. Once she told them, they both headed down the lodging hallway and found the room. Using a spare key Nurse Joy had given them, they entered to see Brock laying on the bottom left bunk, sound asleep. Moving quietly, they got ready for bed and took turns changing into their nightwear. Anabel claimed the other bottom bunk so Ash parked himself in the bunk above Brock. It didn't take long before Anabel was asleep with Espeon, who had been released to sleep with her. Pikachu had fallen asleep rather quickly as well, comfortable lying on Ash's chest. Ash lay there, thinking about the night. But the same thought came back to his mind: the scene up in the sky. Shaking his head slightly, he smiled to himself again. _Maybe some other time_, he thought. Closing his eyes, he was asleep soon after. The night had proven to be quite interesting, with Brock's return and the crazy Ghost-Types. How could the next day ever beat this? Well, stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

* * *

**Short update is disappointing. Sorry 'bout that. **

**Well, I didn't have very much for this chapter, but I didn't think it would be this short. Brocks tale is told and everyone is happy…RIGHT. And, if you're wondering about the 'Gym Ranking' and the tournament thing…I made it up… HUZZAH! What do you think of the nickname CG. I was going to go with cloaked dude and make it CD, but…eh. The reason for the nickname is that it feels monotonous to call him 'the cloaked man.' And the ghost scenes, yes I know it was Haunter last time and that they were unconscious, so...let it go. And Ash seems to be...arriving at 'the place.' I think you know what I mean.**

**In regards to the date of this chapter, it was scheduled for last week, but due to circumstances I didn't feel up to writing. I had my wisdom teeth pulled, so I was sort of incapacitated and drugged for the weekend. But I'm back…yays.**

**WHAT IS THIS! We've reached over 100 reviews. I'm so happy. I want to thank all of you. I couldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for you guys. And I promise the next chapter will be longer, I just needed to get this little part out. Well, here's to 100 more guys.**

**But, the only way to get there is to review, so let's get to it guys. I hope to hear from all of you, but please don't complain about length. I look forward to see what you think. I always read every review. **

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Antidisestablishmentarianism **

Chapter 19: Sell a Don

The sound of fist hitting wood echoed into the night. The sound repeated itself a few times, until the creaking sound of a door hinge silenced everything and the night was quiet once again. Inside a large mansion like building, two people stood talking. "Sorry for dropping in so late, I had a previous engagement."

"A Gym Leader is ready for visitors at all hours of the day. However, I'm not a Gym Leader, so if you are here for a challenge then I will have to ask you to wait until the Leader has woken up in the morning."

"Actually, Aya, I need to discuss something with you. If Janine is asleep then that will make this all the easier to get through."

"What would you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, before I start, may I ask if you have any Tea?"

* * *

The sun peaked over the horizon and light shone into Lavender Town, making everything cast an elongated shadow. The Ghosts of Pokémon Tower retired to sleep the day away, just as everyone else was waking up. In the Pokémon Center, Ash and Brock were waiting for Anabel to finish up in the bathroom. Since she was the last one to wake up, she was the last one into the bathroom. After they were all packed and prepared, they headed to get some breakfast from the cafeteria. "So where are we headed now," Ash asked Brock as they ate.

"Well I guess we're headed to Celadon City next," Brock answered. At the mention of Celadon, Anabel almost choked on her food. "You okay," Brock asked, as Ash looked up from his food to see what had happened.

"Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe, you know," Anabel lied. The two boys shrugged their shoulders and went back to their food. _Ah great. I forgot that Celadon had a Gym. I knew I'd have to return eventually, but I was hoping I would be alone. If I run into Scott, I might get into some real trouble._

"Anabel, you ready to leave," Ash asked, noticing she had stopped eating.

"Hm, oh, yeah I lost my appetite anyway." The group left the Pokémon Center, saying goodbye to Nurse Joy as they did so, and headed out of Lavender toward Saffron City via Route Eight. The path to Saffron was littered with a small amount of Trainers, all of whom were eager for a battle. Ash and Anabel took turns battling the Trainers. Because of the trainers and the frequent stops they caused, it took slightly longer than planned to get through the Route. At the end, three big guys were standing around talking, with motorcycles parked near the group. One of them looked up from the group and walked over to the travelers.

"Hey, there. How would one of you guys like to battle?"

"Sure," Ash said, not afraid of the larger man. Anabel and Brock stepped aside so they would have enough room. "Alright, go Nincada."

"Flareon, show them you firepower."

"Nincada, let's get this started with fury swipes," Ash ordered.

"Flareon, go for a Fire Spin." Flareon reared its head back and released a spinning vortex of flames at Nincada. Moving as fast as it could, Nincada dodged the fiery assult, escaping with just a few scorch marks on its side. Getting up close to Flareon, Nincada repeatedly swiped its claws at the fox like creature. Nincada was able to land four hits before Flareon was able to evade the attack. "Alright Flareon, let's get this going with a Sunny Day."

"Nincada, get in there and use X-Scissor." Flareon began gathering a supply of light in front of its face, launching it into the sky once it got large enough. Just after Flareon released the light, Nincada came down hard on its head, causing it to stumble backwards. The ball of light pierced the sky and spread out the clouds, making the sky clear so the sun could shine bright.

"Alright Flareon, give them a Fire Fang." Flareon lunged forward, mouth aflame. The flames burned brighter as the sun enhanced Flareon's fire attacks. Flareon bit down hard onto Nincada's back, causing him great pain. Leaping back, Flareon looked at its victim as it collapsed to the ground.

"Nincada, are you alright," Ash called out. Ash could sense that the attack had done a lot of damage and this was probably the end of the match. But, Nincada struggled to its feet, panting heavily. Then raising its head skyward, it let out a high pitched screeching noise and began to shine brightly. Nincada's silhouette curled up into an oblong ball shape. In a bright flash, a ball of light rose up from the other ball of light, which now dimmed and lay still on the ground. The airborne light faded to reveal a bee like creature, with bright round red eyes. It's head and back were a bright gold color, and it torso was a duller gold. It had transparent wings with red tips and a slight yellow hue to them. "Wow, what is that?"

"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokémon: Its cry leaves a lasting headache if heard for too long. It moves so quickly that it is almost invisible," the Pokédex chimed when Ash took it out.

"I guess it keeps its odd coloring," Ash said, noting the difference between the Pokédex image and the Pokémon in front of him. Ninjask turned around and faced Ash. It stared at Ash for a moment before it dashed forward, latching itself to Ash's face. "Ah, what's going on," Ash yelled through the Pokémon on his face. Attempting to pull off the Pokémon, Ash struggled on the ground as Ninjask held on. Brock and Anabel rushed over to try and help Ash with his dilemma. Eventually they were able to remove the Pokémon, leaving Ash on the ground, eyes in swirls. Shaking his head a bit he was able to reorient himself and recall the rampaging Pokémon into its ball. "Well, that was weird," Ash said, rubbing his head.

"Hey kid, are you okay," the Biker said. Nodding to the Biker, he continued, "Well, what are you going to do about the battle, you going to forfeit?"

"What choice do I have, the Pokémon I was using went berserk," Ash said quietly to his friends, who were still standing near him. Turning to give a response, Ash saw an odd sight. When he looked back at the field, the light that had previously dulled, now floated haphazardly in the air. A halo appeared above its head and the last bit of light faded to reveal a Pokémon. "Okay, now what is this?"

"Shedinja, the Shed Pokémon: A strange Pokémon-it flies without moving its wings, has a hollow shell for a body, and does not breathe." It had a bright gold gleam to it, with eyes that looked like hollowed out holes. It had a large hole in its back where Ninjask apparently burst from.

"Uh, Brock, an explanation here."

"Well, uh, I don't really know either. See if it will listen to you."

Looking at the Pokédex, Ash read the list of moves it knew. "Uh, Shedinja, use Double Team." Shedinja created a circle of afterimages surrounding Flareon.

"I guess the battles still on then. Alright Flareon, let's go with a Flamethrower attack."

"Shedinja, use Solarbeam." Flareon fired a stream of fire at one of the images, which passed through it, indicating a fake. They suddenly all disappeared except one of them, which made its halo stand up and fired a large white beam at Flareon. It rolled across the ground, eventually coming to rest in an unconscious state, ending the battle in the favor of Ash. "Alright, way to go Shedinja," Ash said, congratulating it on its victory. It just slowly floated over to Ash, stopping just in front of him. "Uh, now what?"

"Try catching it," Anabel said. Ash shrugged and pulled out a Pokéball. He threw it at the Pokémon, drawing it inside. After a few wiggles, it dinged and Ash picked it up.

"Alright, I caught a Shedinja," Ash said, striking his usual victory pose.

"Good job kid," the Biker said to Ash.

"Hey, Harris," called the other Bikers. "Get over here, everything's set."

"Alright Zeke, keep your britches on," he called to his biker friends. "It was nice battling you, see you around." The man turned and left with his friends.

Ash, Anabel, and Brock continued back on the path, deciding they would ascertain information about Nincada and it's odd evolutions the next Pokémon Center. Unfortunately, what they were expecting to happen, happened again and Ash was asked not to enter the city. Sitting just outside the security booth, they were trying to figure out a way to Celadon, other than going back to Lavender, traveling to Fuchsia, and up the Cycling Road. As they were throwing around ideas, they heard a small explosion sound, and the ground shook slightly. "What was that," Ash asked no one in particular.

"I don't know if we want to find out," Brock said.

"C'mon, let's go find out," Anabel said.

"And they ignore me," Brock said to himself as he watched his friends run ahead of him. They came to a small building in the middle of the woods, but it had a large hole in the side of one of the walls. "What do you think happened here," Brock said, catching up to Ash and Anabel.

"It looks like someone blew a hole in the side of this building," Ash said, noting the scorch marks and the ground and the wall surrounding the hole.

"Yeah, but why, and more importantly, who," Anabel asked.

"Only one way to find out," Ash said, charging into the hole. Anabel and Brock were to slow to say anything to stop him so they ended up following him in. The building was dark and the only light came from the hole in the wall. In the middle of the room was a staircase headed downward. Pressing forward, the group headed down the stairs and into what looked like a carbon copy of the tunnel between Cerulean and Vermillion; except it was pitch black, save for a small light flickering in the distance. Walking for a good ten minutes, they finally approached the source of the light. It was a small lantern, and sitting around the lantern were the three Bikers from earlier. But as they got close, the Bikers took notice of them and stood up defensively.

"Hey, whose there," one of them said in a gravelly voice.

"Uh, sorry for intruding," Ash said, putting his hands up and stepping back from the aggressive Bikers. "We were just curious about what was going on."

"Well, you know what they say about curiosity, it has a notorious killing record. So you kids had better scat, before we add you too that list."

"Hey, hold on Zeke," another one of the Bikers spoke up. "These are the kids I battled earlier. Heh, small world, eh kid?"

"Uh, yeah," was all Ash could manage to spit out.

"If you kids are headed to Celadon, we can let you pass through," Harris, the Biker from before, said. The two other Bikers seemed apprehensive at first, but they just sat back down around the lantern. After exchanging a few more words, Ash, Anabel, and Brock were allowed to pass the Bikers. But, Anabel turned at the last moment, to ask a few questions.

"So, how did you make that hole in the wall up there?"

"I'm an explosives expert," the Biker referred to as Zeke said. "I use my Koffing to blow stuff up."

"So you guys have Pokémon that explode. Not only that, but you're Bikers, so you must know a thing or two about tools. But, instead of using that knowledge to unlock or unhinge the door, or even remove it via explosion, you blow a hole in a wall."

"Hey," the third Biker spoke up for the first time. "Walls are the most indestructible force in the universe, you can't just, 'unlock' it."

"Alright then," Anabel said, rolling her eyes and walking to catch up with her friends. Ash and Brock hadn't made it far in the dark the corridor. They were trying to find a way to light the way. Getting there was easy since they had a light to guide them, but now they would have to find an alternate source of light. Pikachu was an option, but he might end up shocking someone. Anabel's Pokémon weren't very florescent, and neither were Ash's or Brock's for that matter. "What about Ninjask or Shedinja," Anabel suggested.

Ash thought about the idea. It was a good idea, but Ninjask seemed a bit…odd, to Ash, and if Ash thought it was odd, you knew something was off. Shedinja was a good option, but it seemed a bit slow for a light. "I guess we could see if Shedinja can get the job done," Ash took out Shedinja's Pokéball and threw it out. When the light cleared, Shedinja floated up and hovered in front of Ash's face again. "Uh, could you lead us through this dark hallway," Ash said, feeling weird as the hollow husk just stared at him. Shedinja turned around and glided forward, its body giving off a faint glow, just enough for them to be able to see down the hallway. It was another ten minutes before they made it to the stairs on the Celadon side of the tunnel. Once they were back on ground level, Brock was able to fiddle the door open and they could see sunlight once again. Recalling Shedinja, Ash, along with Anabel and Brock, walked the final stretch to Celadon.

* * *

Upon entering the city, everyone could see that it appeared to be more festive than a normal city day. There were banners and posters all over the place, along with a good amount of flowers. They tried to ignore the odd appearance of the city, and headed into the Pokémon Center. The inside of the Center was just as decorated as the streets outside. Standing at the counter of the Pokémon Center, were three familiar faces, Dawn, May, and Zoey. Dawn was the first to notice their appearance and made it well known to the others. "Hey, it's Ash, Brock, and Anabel. How are you guys," she yelled across the lobby.

"We've been doing well," Ash said, showing off his badges.

"Well, we haven't been slaking either," May said, the three of them showing off their ribbon cases. May and Zoey each had two, while Dawn only had one. "Although some have been falling behind," she said, the statement aimed at Dawn.

"I should have won that contest yesterday and you know it," Dawn yelled at the older girls who just turn their heads away, laughing.

"Well, you can always win the next one, right Dawn," Ash said, encouraging his former companion.

"May I help you," Nurse Joy said, coming from the back.

"Yes, could you heal our Pokémon," Ash said for everyone. Once they had handed over their Pokémon, they headed to the cafeteria to grab lunch and to catch up on the past few days. Near the end, Ash threw in a question, "Do you guys know what is with the city? I mean what's with the decorations and all that?"

"I think I can answer that," a voice at the entrance of the cafeteria said. Standing there were two women, one of which could was recognized as the Gym Leader of Celadon, Erika.

"Hey Erika," Ash said, standing from his seat to greet his would be adversary.

"Well if it isn't Ash, the cross-dressing fireman," she said, which caused the girl's jaws to drop, Ash to look like a deer in the headlights, and Brock to begin laughing hysterically. "Now that I have your undivided attention, I will answer your question. This is the flower festival here in Celadon. It's held every year here and is one of the biggest events of the year. It keeps me quite busy though."

"Too busy for a Gym Battle," Ash asked, recovering from the statement made earlier.

"Well, I always have time for a Gym Battle," Erika said. "If you guys want to, we can head over right now and get started."

"Not so fast," the other girl that was with Erika spoke up. She had long silver hair, and wore a yellow crop top along with some white capris. "How can you pass up this opportunity to show off Erika. You should take this opportunity to give a performance," she said, then turning to Ash said, "What do you say, kid, would you mind having your battle in a few days at the end of the festival. We could use it to end the festival with a bang of entertainment. A live Gym Battle on stage at night."

"Pardon her," Erika said. "Well I suppose it's a good idea. What do you think?" Ash nodded his head, as did Anabel. "Oh, I suppose I should introduce my friend. This is Karen, she's a member of—"

"The local dance theater, I teach there," Karen said, cupping her hand over Erika's mouth to stop her from talking. "In fact, since I'm such a nice person, I would like for you guys to attend a special dance class I'm holding tomorrow. It's a prep class for the festival dance so that everyone can be entertained to the fullest extent." At the mention of a dance class, Dawn and May got really excited.

"We'll be there," the two of them yelled out. They got death glares from everyone, but it was too late.

"Excellent, then I will see you there. It's in the city dance theater. Oh, and there's a special prize for the best dancers," she said as she left, dragging Erika with her. Once the two were out of the Center, Karen turned to Erika and said, "I told you I want to keep a low profile, not to go telling everyone who I am. Erika, sometimes you can be such an airhead.

* * *

Back in the Pokémon Center, Everyone was staring at Dawn and May. "Well, we have some shopping to do," Dawn said, grabbing Zoey. Then the three of them left the Center, leaving the others to stare in anger.

"Great, I guess we have to go now," Anabel said, irritated.

"It won't be too bad," Ash said, trying to be optimistic.

"Let's not even talk about it," Anabel said, resting her head on the table. "How about we go to bed now?"

"But it's only one in the afternoon. We could use this time to train for the Gym Battle." Although she didn't want to, Anabel complied and they picked up their Pokémon from Nurse Joy and they headed out back out to start training. After assigning groups for sparring, all the Pokémon were off training, save for the two newest members of Ash's team. He was holding the two Pokéballs in front of him, trying to decide what to do with them. Then he got an idea, "Hey Anabel, I have a question."

"I have an answer; let's hope the two go together."

"Can you use your ability through Pokéballs?" Anabel nodded her head. "Well, could you tell me what these two are thinking," he said, holding out the two balls.

Anabel took the balls and concentrated on them one at a time, starting with Ninjask. She could here a faint voice inside the ball saying, 'Moving at the speed of sound, they try to chase me all around. Got myself a situation, stuck in a new location, without any explanation.' Shaking her head a from side to side, Anabel focused on the other ball, but all she heard was cricket-esque chirping.

"Sorry, but I'm not getting anything from these two. I guess they're just total enigmas," Anabel said.

"Then I guess I have only one option left; a face to face confrontation and I hope I don't mean that literally." Taking the balls back, Ash threw them and released the two Pokémon. Shedinja rose up and just floated around. Ninjask hovered in place, wings beating silently. Turing to face Ash just like earlier, it charged and latched itself to his face. "Not again," Ash yelled, falling to the ground as the Pokémon just hung onto his face. Anabel raced over and tried pulling it off, but it wasn't coming. But suddenly a large bolt of lightning struck Ninjask, along with Ash and Anabel. Ninjask fell off of Ash's face but Anabel fell forward onto Ash. The three just laid there, smoldering from the shock.

"I guess things never change," a voice said in a harsh tone. "You'll never take anything seriously."

Ash looked up to see a familiar face. A face that had a pair of fierce eyes and a perpetual frown, topped off with purple hair. "Paul," Ash said in a low voice once he saw his old rival. What is Paul doing here and how will Ash react to his sudden appearance? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued

* * *

**One year anniversary…yay.**

**So this chapter…not much happened. Nincada evolved and I had to think of personalities for two new Pokémon. That was fun. Paul appeared which is important as well I guess. Oh and a quick question: what do you guys think of a song in the next chapter. I know it would be cheesy but they are going to a dance school, so now would be the perfect time. Let me know, okay? It is understood that Fuchsia Gym got the same explanation as Brock, so no need to repeat that. Oh, and I threw in some Zelda humor about locked doors being invincible. I wanted to do an Insurmountable Waste High Fence joke, but nothing was coming to me. I wanted to make this longer, but I liked this ending spot, so oh well. **

**Just a word about Shedinja: he won't be as gimmicky as he is in the games. He's actually going to be useful, very much so in fact. And no, Ash's final team has not yet been assembled so HA.**

**Well guys, I can't wait to hear the reviews for this one (I can almost taste the horror). I would like to thank those who have been there from the beginning and those who have just jumped on the band wagon. I await your words**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Twitch E. One**


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